


Haunted Hearts

by Patrycja444d



Series: KAT-TUN - OS Collection [9]
Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Paranormal, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 00:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10231118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patrycja444d/pseuds/Patrycja444d
Summary: Nakamaru’s being haunted by a ghost. With the help of his friends the ghost disappears from his life but… starts to haunt Jin! While trying to get rid of the paranormal creature, Jin gets to know it more. From that moment on, his life starts to change just like his heart…





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MoonCatcher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCatcher/gifts).



> Dear MoonCatcher, I hope you will like it. I thought a lot whether or not I should write a fic about a ghost but the idea that came to my mind when I read your request just wouldn’t go away. I hope you won’t give up on this fic half-way (as it turned out to be much longer than I expected it to be XD) and truly enjoy it. :) (I also hope that I managed to write a fic to your taste - at least a bit - and stayed away from your dislikes - don't worry though, I hit Josh with a car and, hopefully, hit dumbness out of Jin too ;P)

 

 

** Haunted Hearts**

 

Nakamaru Yuichi sat up on his bed completely startled. He was breathing heavily and his heart was beating furiously in his chest. He looked around himself nervously, his eyes widened in fear seeing something they shouldn’t see. His hands were gripping the sheets tightly while his tensed body was soaked with cold sweat. He only realized how drenched in sweat he was when his senses stopped being hazed by his sleepy mind. He stood up and on shaking legs and went towards his wardrobe. On the way he turned on the light. Once the room was nicely illuminated and less scary, Nakamaru felt a bit calmer but he knew that any second now, something may happen again.

 

* * *

  
Everything started a few weeks ago, on a day when Nakamaru visited one of his relatives at local hospital. It was a normal ‘get-well-soon’ type of visit so he didn’t think that it may have any kind of impact on his life. Unfortunately, he was wrong. The same night, when Nakamaru was cooking, a window in his living room suddenly opened. He was surprised but it was a windy night so he thought it was just an accident. But things slowly started getting weirder. From time to time light-bulbs were twinkling, turning themselves off and on at times. Doors opened by themselves. His things were ‘wandering’ around the room – once he found his sock in one of his bed-side drawers.  
  
Nakamaru was getting scared; seriously frightened. There were times when he screamed and ran out of his apartment or didn’t sleep the whole night trembling under the blanket and squealing every time he heard some unexpected noise. It was tiring him out. It was not a surprise that the moment he walked into the room, his friends saw dark bags under his eyes.  
  
“Are you alright? You don’t look good. Are you sure you should be here and not in bed sleeping?” Tanaka Koki asked concerned for his friend’s well being.  
  
“Maybe some ‘good morning’, hm? And no, I prefer to be here than at my apartment right now.”  
  
“Did something happen? Normally, you can’t wait before you can go home,” Ueda Tatsuya said while averting his eyes away from a newspaper he was reading. Nakamaru opened his mouth to answer but closed it almost immediately deciding that telling the truth might not be the best idea. Instead he shook his head.  
  
“You wouldn’t believe me anyway. Even I have hard time getting my head over it.”  
  
“Try us. We’re your friends, we will always be on your side, Yuichi,” Taguchi Junnosuke exclaimed with a big, in his opinion reassuring but actually annoying, smile.  
  
“I…”  
  
He didn’t have a chance to continue because the very same moment Akanishi Jin entered the room in a hurry. He bent over putting his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths before he straightened up and smiled triumphal.  
  
“Yes! I’ve made it on time this time! See, Ueda? I can do it!” he said proudly. When he turned around to close the door, he saw Nakamaru. “Wow… you had to have a fruitful night. You look like you haven’t slept even a minute.” Jin moved his eyebrows suggestively but Yuichi just scowled at him and moved to sit on the sofa next to Ueda.  
  
“I wish it was like that but it’s not.”  
  
“Yeah. And when you appeared he was about to tell us what’s making him so restless, so shut up for a minute,” Koki said making Jin huff in annoyance. Nevertheless, he did shut up.  
  
“Listen, guys. I know you’re concerned but I will manage by myself. I will just… sleep at my parents’ house,” Nakamaru admitted, obviously embarrassed by being as weak as to go cry for the mommy. Of course, the guys couldn’t let the occasion to make fun of the poor man’s slip.  
  
“You’re serious, Yuichi? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of sleeping alone. What are you? A child from kindergarten?” Jin asked amused just like the rest of his friends.  
  
“Yes, I’m serious. With… _things_ … happening, I can’t even get one full night of sleep.” He rubbed his face tiredly. “My windows and door open on their own and my things lay in different parts of my room than I left them.”  
  
“Are you suggesting your apartment is haunted?” Ueda raised one eyebrow at the man who bit his lip and nodded. Ueda stared at him for a moment longer before erupting in a loud laughter followed by the rest of the people in the room. Koki and Jin had to lean on the wall not to end up on the floor.  
  
“That’s not funny!” Nakamaru shouted angrily. Slowly the laughs died out – no one wanted a mad Nakamaru, the guy was hard to placate then.  
  
“Okay, okay. But have you thought that maybe the door and windows are opening because of the wind? It’s rather windy these days,” Jin said remembering his old flat in which the temperature in winter was almost the same inside as it was outside.  
  
“Maybe… but it happens almost every day.”  
  
“So what? It’s a windy month and you’re flat is on the fifteenth floor. This winter was quite cold too, so your windows might be a bit loose in their sills.”  
  
“Okay… you might be right… But what with my clothes appearing in places they shouldn’t be?”  
  
“You said yourself you’re almost not sleeping at all and you’re restless. Maybe you’re so tired in the evening that you don’t even remember the next day where you left your stuff,” Ueda answered and shrugged – for him it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
“But…”  
  
“Just let it go, Yuichi. There’s nothing weird happening. You just need to relax and then you will sleep like a baby,” Koki comforted his tired friend.  
  
“Why don't we go to Yuichi’s house and help him relax? He won’t be alone then.”  
  
The guys looked at Junno in surprise. The man wasn’t the brightest in such situations, suddenly saying things that would make anyone cry at his insensitivity and randomness. But, surprisingly, this time he was right. With them around Nakamaru wouldn’t think about the stuff that was making him uneasy. It was a win-win situation; Nakamaru would relax and be able to sleep peacefully, and they would have some fun at their friend’s flat. Jin seemed to be the happiest at the idea, grinning widely.  
  
“So… how much beer do we need?”

 

* * *

  
Nakamaru walked back and forth between his kitchen and living room bringing all type of snacks and drinks they would need for the evening. He was a bit happy that the guys would be with him and hoped that the mysterious ‘power’ that scared him every night, at least this once wouldn’t appear at all. On the other hand, he could already imagine how his flat would look the next morning with Koki and Akanishi damaging his things after getting drunk. It was always a total disaster with those two in one room.  
  
During the whole ‘preparing’ process, all the lights in the apartment were turned on. Yuichi didn’t want to risk being attacked by… whatever it was that tried to give him a heart attack. Thankfully, nothing happened so far and Nakamaru had a weird feeling that the visit of his friends may be an answer to that problem of his.  
  
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang and Yuichi almost ran towards the entrance. The guys walked in and immediately seated themselves on his couch and carpet. Of course, the first thing that Jin and Koki did was open bottles of beer. Nakamaru sighed already knowing how this night was going to end. And he hoped so much that this time would be different…  
  
“Come on, Yuichi! We’ve brought a few movies with us and the only missing piece is you on this couch!” Koki said cheerily and mentioned for Nakamaru to sit next to him.  
  
“Yeah! We have three different horror movies with us!” Junno added and the rest glared at him for spilling out the ‘surprise’. Jin and Nakamaru glaring the most as both guys were scaredy cats when it came to ghosts, ghouls and monsters.  
  
Despite his discomfort, Nakamaru turned off the lights and went back to the sofa. Ueda put on the movie and Jin grabbed a bowl of popcorn. He decided that it would be easier to survive with something good to eat in his hands.  
  
A few minutes into the movie, Jin and Yuichi were already shaking with fear. It was a popular belief that Nakamaru was the biggest coward of the group. In general, it was true, but there was one exception. When it came to paranormal creatures, Jin was ten times more scared than Nakamaru. So the moment a movie-monster jumped out from one of the rooms, Jin screamed like if he was skinned alive. Everyone jumped at his loud yell before Ueda smacked the poor guy for waking up the neighbors. The boy pouted but turned back to watching the screen.  
  
Nakamaru sighed. Jin’s voice really startled him there for a moment but he was happy it was just that and not something else. Unfortunately, the same moment he thought that, he felt how a spot just behind him got colder and colder. Yuichi stiffened and waited for the catastrophe to happen. It took longer than a minute before the temperature returned to its previous state. Nakamaru looked around searching for any changes but found none. Surprised that nothing happened, he turned back to the TV. Nevertheless he observed his friends and surroundings cautiously. The only sign of the weird ‘power’ being there was Jin that visibly shivered the moment the energy appeared in the room.  
  
The rest of the evening was rather quiet, of course if you exclude Jin’s bloodcurdling shrieks. Yuichi was afraid that the guys would decide to stay in his flat for the rest of the night, but he was nicely surprised when they announced it’s time for them to go home. They watched only two of the three movies but the late hour and the fact that Nakamaru needed to get a good night's sleep, made them save the movie for some other evening.  
  
The guys said their goodbyes and exited the apartment. Nakamaru looked around nervously. Horror movies surely didn’t help with the calming him down but the atmosphere seemed to be… different. Yuichi couldn’t really explain it but something was telling him that this will be the first time in the whole month when he would get full eight hours of sleep. One thing was sure though. From the moment the guys went home until the time Yuichi went to sleep, nothing had happened at all.

 

* * *

  
Jin went inside his apartment with a smile on his face. He didn’t like movies about ghosts and monsters but he couldn’t say the evening wasn’t nice. It was quite a while since he last had fun with his friends from the music studio. Funny how the only thing they had in common was their love for music. None of them became a star, they were happy with the mere fact they could sing and play instruments in the studio their mutual friends made for passionate people like Jin, Koki, Ueda, Junno and Maru. Well, Jin still wasn’t exactly convinced that Taguchi didn’t came only because he had this weird crush on Ueda, but he preferred not to mention about it. Tatsuya’s punches would kill him instantly.  
  
Jin threw his keys on the table and went to the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later, his hair still a bit wet. He hummed a melody under his breath while looking for his pajama pants. He found them near his bed and with a victorious smile he put the pants on, yawning tiredly. He turned around and out of a habit looked at his table - he always checked if he didn’t leave any adult videos or magazines there, since his mother liked to invade his flat when he was at work. This time, except of his keys visible in a deemed light, there was no ‘dangerous’ things left. Jin yawned again and took a step towards his bedroom. In the exact same moment he heard a scratchy sound coming from his left. Surprised and a bit startled he looked again at the table. Everything seemed to be fine.  
  
Until the keys moved.  
  
Jin’s eyes widened. The scratching sound came back and there was no doubt where it came from. The keys were slowly moving on the wooden surface from time to time stopping or changing directions. The man was observing its movements, shocked to the point he couldn’t emit a single sound. Jin stayed in this state until the keys reached the end of the table and fell down. In that moment everything ended. Jin stood still. When his brain finally registered what had happened, Jin screamed and ran to his room to hide under the blanket. It might be a silly thing to do but was much better than having to watch any more of such events. And, unfortunately for the poor guy, for the rest of the night Jin could hear things moving, was able to recognize when the lights turned themselves off and on and felt the wind coming through the windows that should be closed but weren’t.  
  
It was the worst night in Jin’s life. The night taken straight out from hell.

 

* * *

  
The next day when Nakamaru came into the room, he looked refreshed and rested. He was even smiling which didn’t occur as much during last month. Ueda, Koki and Junno spotted the change right away and were happy they were able to help.  
  
“You look much better. I bet you slept like a log yesterday,” Koki said when Nakamaru sat in front of him on the chair.  
  
“You’re right. I really did sleep like the dead. For the whole night, nothing happened. No opening windows, no turning on-off lights, no items moving. I just hope it will stay that way.”  
  
“I bet it will. It was probably just your imagination making fun of you.” Koki shrugged with a friendly smile, trying to make sure Yuichi wouldn’t get restless about it again.  
  
“Well… maybe. Since it went away I won’t argue with you.”  
  
“Good. Ghosts aren’t real and only a really dumb person would believe they do. And you’re not stupid,” Ueda assured him even if it sounded more like an insult anyway.  
  
“Yeah, you’re right.”  
  
“GUYS! THERE’S A GHOST IN MY APARTMENT!!! HELP ME!!!” Jin ran into the room screaming and immediately knelt in front of his friends, begging them to exorcism the ‘evil’ energy that invaded his flat. He was almost in hysterics.  
  
“Jin, calm down! What are you talking about? What happened?” Koki asked a bit concerned with Jin’s huge eye bags and trembling legs. Jin took a few deep breaths.  
  
“The ghost! It came to my apartment! It moved my keys and it was playing with windows and lights, and things and, and, and…” Jin was panicked.  
  
“What? But Jin, ghosts aren’t real.” Ueda tried to reason.  
  
“THEY ARE REAL!!! Yuichi was right! That thing is haunting me!” Nakamaru stiffened a bit at his words. He thought about things that had happened to him and could see many similarities. A sudden idea came to his mind and he decided that it would be the best to share it with his friends.  
  
“Guys?” Everyone looked at him in question. “What if it’s the same ghost that was haunting my house?”  
  
“What are you talking about? Ghosts don’t exist!” Ueda felt that the situation was ridiculous.  
  
“But you believe in fairies, right? So how can you know the ghosts aren’t there somewhere ? Some scientists say that ghosts are made from people’s energy so it’s possible for them to manipulate things if they are strong enough,” Junno butted in seriously once again, making the guys speechless.  
  
“…Fine. Let’s assume for a while here that it’s really a ghost. Why would it suddenly start to haunt Jin?”  
  
“I have no idea, but what happens to Jin is exactly what was happening to me all this time.”  
  
“I think the important question here is how to get rid of it?”  
  
Koki asked and in this moment his bag flew right next to his head and hit the wall. The guys looked in shock at the previously flying object. It was lying on the floor, all of its content scattered around it. Ueda gulped loudly, his hands shaking even more now.  
  
“Whatever it is, it doesn’t want to leave. That’s for sure,” Ueda said, finally starting to believe that Yuichi’s and Jin’s crazy theory might be true.  
  
“What are we going to do now? From what we just saw, I assume it followed Jin here,” Koki said looking apologetically at Jin whose face got pale at the comment.  
  
“I’m not sure it will work but maybe we should ask some kind of a medium or something? I heard that the ghosts are haunting humans because they want to find someone who will help them go to the other side,” Nakamaru answered and everyone nodded in agreement. It was the best thing they could do at the moment.  
  
“I wonder if that ghost was following Yuichi too?” The guys groaned because who other than Junno would ask a question that was, in fact, completely useless.

 

* * *

  
Surprisingly, the one who found a medium was the one who believed the least in ghosts. Ueda Tatsuya. Everyone was wondering how he had gotten to know a medium despite his strong deny towards paranormal stuff. Tatsuya explained that he only was colleagues with a guy whose friend was a medium. Or something like that. Not having any other choice, they decided to give it a try. Especially Jin who became rather desperate at that point.  
  
For the last couple of days paranormal activities around Jin became more intense. With Nakamaru, the ghost attacked only when the man was in his flat but with Jin, the creature was misbehaving also in other places. It used to break the light bulbs, take out a charger out of the socket when Jin’s phone was charging and move objects that Jin currently wanted to take. Every single time these things happened, Jin screamed or ran away.

 

* * *

  
The guys stood in front of a house somewhere at the outskirts of Tokyo. The neighborhood was very nice. The gardens placed in front of the nearby houses were green and well-groomed. The place where they were supposed to enter in a moment had a few big windows. Only from the outside they could already see a big modern living room with cute, colorful pictures hung on the walls. It certainly didn’t look like a house of a medium.  
  
Ueda knocked on the door and not even a minute later a familiar face stood in front of them in the doorway. Jin blinked stupidly, surprised by seeing Nishikido Ryo, one of his good friends.  
  
“Ryo? What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you are that freakin' medium?” Jin asked but Nishikido only rolled his eyes and with a scoff on his face and let them inside.  
  
“I’m not, Bakanishi. Though calling the medium a freak is the right choice of words. The guy is a stupid, irrational, hyperactive freak. Why am I even here?” Ryo complained when he was guiding them deeper into the house to one of the more deemed rooms.  
  
All the blinds were closed and some, the ones furthest away from the door, were additionally covered by sheets. In that very same corner, the guys could see a silhouette of a man. They couldn’t see his face but were able to tell when the man moved. With a bit of hesitation, they walked further into the room and sat on the couch located in the middle.  
  
“My friend here said you have a problem with a ghost and need someone to send it to the other side? Is that true?” A deep, slow voice echoed in the room making shivers ran down the guys’ spines.  
  
“Y-yes. That ghost is haunting me. And before, he haunted Yuichi here.” Jin pointed to the older man who smiled weakly.  
  
“Hm… I understand… But first, how do you intend to pay me for my services?”  
  
“We’ve brought a big pizza with all the extras. Ryo said it’s your favorite and that it’s the best that we can give you in exchange for your help.”  
  
Jin gulped when he placed the box on the table. A hand slowly appeared from the shadows and the medium opened the box, taking one piece of the pizza and retrieving back into darkness. They could only hear soft slurping, a sound indicating that the medium accepted their payment. When the hand came back to grab another piece of pizza, Ryo lost his patience and walked to the medium. He pulled the sheets down, opened the blinds and then smacked the medium in the head making the guy whine. The guys on the other hand, had their jaws touching the floor from shock. The medium, the person who was suppose to help them, was none other than their other friend, Yamashita Tomohisa, more known as Pi or Yamapi for his huge attachment to the color pink.  
  
Yamapi smiled widely still munching on the pizza while Ryo seated himself in a chair next to him. Ueda who was the first one to come back to earth, glared at the two men. Ryo only shrugged and pointed towards Pi, blaming the guy for everything. Pi, scared of Tatsuya’s eyes, put the piece down and smiled sheepishly.  
  
“Pi? You’re the medium? What the fuck?” Jin asked, completely shocked at the presence of his best friend.  
  
“Well, close to it. Since I was little I could feel ghosts around me. I took some courses three years ago so I can have better control of my powers. I just didn’t have the opportunity to use them.” Pi smiled widely.  
  
“Um, do you feel anything here?” Koki asked not fully trusting the guy. Yamapi was even more stupid than Jin or Junno in his opinion and even more crazy and unpredictable.  
  
“Actually, I do but… it’s different than usually. Can’t tell why. Oh, by the way, I can feel them but I never saw one in my life,” Pi answered happily making the guys sigh at his behavior.  
  
“Let’s go to the point. Will you help us or not?” Ueda asked irritated.  
  
“Easy! Of course I will help! Jin’s my best bro!”  
  
“Thanks, Pi.” Jin gave the man a weak smile.  
  
“Okay. We need to sit in a circle. Yes, that’s it. Ryo close the blinds again, just leave the ones next to the door opened. Ghosts like dark places, they are more visible then, but some are okay with light too. Now, I will try to ask it some questions and direct him towards the light.”  
  
“Are you sure it will work?” Nakamaru asked skeptically.  
  
“Yes, now shhh… If you are here with us, please, turn on this lamp standing in front of me.” They all looked at the item, a moment later, it really got turned on. “Thank you. Now, please, tell us why are you haunting these poor people? You should go to the light and leave them alone. Go to your family on the other side, to your loved ones. They are waiting for you there. Let me help you cross-over to Heaven.”  
  
In that moment a pillow flew from the left and hit Pi right in the face. The shocked man blinked a few times and the guys tried to hide their laughter. Except for Ryo. The guy was laughing like a hyena.  
  
“I start to like this ghost.”  
  
“I don’t think he wants to go to the light, Pi,” Junno stated the obvious.  
  
“What do we do now?” Jin asked not sure if his friend can really help him.  
  
“He’s a stubborn one. But it only means he has something he needs to finish or he won’t be able to cross anyway,” Pi said, while thinking about his next step.  
  
“He? It’s a male then?”  
  
“Yup. I wasn’t sure for a while back then but he has a nice and, most importantly strong, throw. And his energy, it’s more manly than girly but the difference is quite subtle.” In that moment another pillow hit Yamapi, this time making him lose his balance and fell face first on the floor.  
  
“For an expert, you’re quite dumb offending something that you can’t see,” Koki commented, amused. He, just like Ryo, started to like the ghost a bit more.  
  
“I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry,” Pi said looking around himself. “In that case, let’s try this… Dear, ghost. Please, show yourself to us so we could talk and help you with finishing what you have to finish. We want to help you… But if you don’t want our help, please, at least tell us why you are here? Why did you choose Jin?” When nothing happened, Pi pouted. He wanted it to work otherwise all the lessons he took years before would go to waste. “I order you! Show yourself! SHOW US YOUR TRUE FORM!” Pi shouted making everyone’s ears bleed – the guy had an amazingly loud voice.  
  
“Shut up, I can hear you perfectly well, you know? I don’t want to become deaf.”  
  
Everyone in the room froze. The voice didn’t belong to any of them. It was deep, a bit hoarse and sounded a bit like an echo that came from certain, not so far away, distance. It was also a bit whiny because of the way the voice complained. The guys turned towards the sound with widely opened eyes. There, just two meters away from them, stood a slightly transparent figure of a young man who was massaging his ears with a pout. The man looked up at them and the moment his eyes met with theirs, Jin and Pi let out a loud scream. Nakamaru paled and looked like he was about to faint. The rest cringed at the sound that escaped from their two friends and the ghost only rolled his eyes before moving towards a clock placed on the cabinet. The guys followed him with their eyes and observed as the mysterious creature examined the clock curiously before moving its hands an hour forward and giggling while doing it.  
  
“Wh-who are you?” Ueda asked, his voice slightly trembling from surprise.  
  
“I’m Kamenashi Kazuya,” the ghost said while coming a bit closer. He giggled again when he saw how Jin, Maru and Pi took a step back. With a smile, Kazuya walked even closer watching how the three guys tried to hide themselves behind the other’s backs.  
  
“Okay… Can you tell us why are you haunting Jin and why were you haunting Yuichi before?” Ueda asked carefully eyeing the amused ghost.  
  
“They are funny while scared. JinJin screams like a girl and Yucchi makes funny faces when about to faint!” Kazuya answered honestly. All this time he was smiling but when he mentioned the two guys there was a weird kind of spark of mischief in his eyes.  
  
“Wait. You want to tell us that you haunt them only because you find them funny when scared?” Koki wanted to make sure he understood right.  
  
“Yup!” The ghost answered happily but a moment later his face fell and he pouted. “But now you know it’s me and I won’t be able to scare them anymore. You spoiled all my fun~!” Kazuya complained while crossing his arms in a childish manner.  
  
The guys stared at the angry ghost. They couldn’t believe in what they saw and heard. Despite having the guy… _the ghost_ … in front of them, all of them thought it might be some crazy dream or a stupid prank. The only thing that was telling them the opposite was hard grips of Maru, Jin and Pi, who were still hiding, on their shoulders.  
  
"C-can't you j-just leave us a-alone?!" Nakamaru asked, his voice shaking in obvious fear.  
  
"Why should I?" Kazuya stopped pouting and instead tilted his head to the side. The gesture seemed innocent and kind of adorable but it made Maru cringe anyway.  
  
"You said it yourself, right? That we know now, so you can't scare us anymore." Koki said and the rest nodded in agreement. The ghost only looked at the guy and started laughing again.  
  
"So what? Those two are still shaking. I just need to take one step closer." Kamenashi pointed at Jin and Yuichi while coming towards them to prove his point. The two guys, of course, hid themselves even more. The rest sighed. The ghost was right. Jin was horribly afraid of ghosts while Nakamaru was a natural scaredy cat.  
  
"So... You won't leave?" Koki asked carefully.  
  
"Nope." Kazuya smiled widely. The guys looked at each other in helplessness. They had no idea how to make the ghost go away. Surprisingly, Kazuya himself answered their unspoken question. "Well, at least until I find someone who's funnier than JinJin and Yucchi."  
  
Kazuya shook his shoulders and then started wandering around the room again. He seemed curious, touching and playing with every little thing that caught his attention. Despite looking about 20 years old, he seemed quite childish. He didn't pay any attention to the guys to suddenly appear behind them to whisper something in their ears. All of them had shivers running down their spines but Pi, Yuichi and Jin also screamed loudly every single time Kazuya did that. Of course, they quickly became the main targets of the amused ghost.  
  
While Kazuya was having fun scaring the poor trio, the rest was thinking how to find someone even more afraid of ghosts than Jin was. It wasn't easy. Jin was known for running away from a haunted house while his date was still inside. They weren’t even sure if a person more afraid of ghosts than Jin existed. Looking at each other helplessly they realized Jin was topping the unwritten list of ‘friends I would horror-prank’. The only option left for them was to find another solution; one that didn’t require exorcising – Kamenashi Kazuya didn’t seem too fond of the idea.  
  
“Erm… Kamenashi, right?” Ueda wanted to confirm the name and the ghost only nodded with a small smile. “Is there something else we can do so you would leave Jin and Yuichi alone? Maybe you need some help or… want to do something?” The ghost seemed to ponder on the question for a while before looking at Tatsuya again with big innocent eyes.  
  
“Not really. It’s not like I can ‘cross-over’, like you called it, anyway,” Kazuya answered taking a glance at the amateur exorcist.  
  
“What? Why not?” Pi asked looking far more curious than scared at the moment, already getting used to the transparent presence standing in the living room. The ghost shrugged his shoulders. He looked more serious now like he himself wondered about the reasons why he couldn't go to Heaven.  
  
“I don’t know. It’s not like I want to be here but, for the record, I don’t mind it either. It’s entertaining to make people shake, shiver and scream bloody murder at times. I don’t need to care about someone finding out about me and even if they do,” he looked a bit at the guys in front of him accusingly, “they can’t hurt me anyway. Some people tried to exorcism me before, no one succeeded though.”  
  
“Eh? Don’t you have anything to do to be able to go away? Like, sort out some kind of a shit you fucked up while living? There must be a reason why you’re a ghost, right?” Ryo asked without beating around the bush. The ghost scowled and rolled his eyes at him.  
  
“For your information, I’m not a ghost but a spirit,” Kazuya huffed at the rude man’s words. “And I have no intentions talking to you about my private interests. I’m staying here and you have nothing to say in that matter.”  
  
Kazuya turned around and marched towards the furthest corner of the room to sit cross-legged in the chair placed near the fireplace. He lost his amused smile and started sulking, glaring stubbornly at the bunch of guys that were trying to get rid of him. He was absentmindedly playing with a blanket lying on the armchair, swirling its fringes around his finger.  
  
Jin watched the movement of the blanket. To his own surprise, he caught himself being weirdly fascinated by the way the ghost… _spirit_ was moving the object. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that something without a body was doing it or if it had something to do with the slightly stubby yet somewhat charming fingers. There was just something about those fingers that made him wonder how it would be to grab them into his own hand.  
  
“Nice move, Ryo. You pissed him off.” Jin looked back to his friends, feeling a bit flustered by his own thoughts.  
  
“Hey! It’s not like you helped yourself! I bet he only showed himself to us because he had enough of your loud yapping!” Ryo rebutted, annoyed at Yamapi for putting the whole blame on him.  
  
“But at least we’ve managed to talk to him. We were close from finding out what he needs but you had to butt in and offend him,” Yamapi answered, pointing accusingly at Ryo.  
  
“Close?! He just told us he doesn’t need anything! How’s that close to you?!”  
  
“Shut up! Both of you!” Ueda had enough of the two bickering idiots and, apparently, he wasn’t the only one. The spirit stopped playing with the blanket and glared at the men with irritation instead. Tatsuya had no intentions making Kazuya even more enraged than he already was. “Nishikido, apologize to Kamenashi.”  
  
“Huh?! Why should I?” Ryo immediately opposed the idea but one look at Tatsuya made him change his mind – the guy was way scarier than any ghost could’ve ever been. “Okay, okay… I’m sorry. I didn’t want to offend you,” Ryo said barely refraining from rolling his eyes.  
  
Kazuya looked at the man with a frown. He could tell that the apology wasn’t exactly sincere but from what he had seen so far, the man was rude by nature so he might had really not wanted to insult him - at least not on purpose.  
  
The spirit edged closer making Jin flinch. He wasn’t as scared as a few moments ago but he still had vivid images of his haunted apartment – flying papers, opening windows, shutting doors – in front of his eyes. Knowledge that the transparent figure had no intention to leave him alone anytime soon surely didn’t help in getting over his fear.  
  
“Okay, I forgive you. Just don’t call me a ghost ever again.”  
  
“So… about that moving to the ‘better place’…?” Koki tried to ask gently.  
  
“Told you. Unless I find something more entertaining, I’m not going anywhere.” Kazuya said with a smile, completely ignoring the hopeless looks he was given. “For now, I’m staying with JinJin!” he exclaimed happily suddenly appearing behind Jin and wounding his arms around the man’s neck.  
  
“AAAHHH!!!” Jin’s loud screech made everyone look at him in startle, but those looks quickly changed into the ones of utmost bewilderment when Jin slid down to the floor lifelessly.  
  
Kazuya looked at the unconscious man with a mix of disbelief and amusement. He shrugged his shoulders innocently and crouched on the floor to repeatedly poke Jin’s body with his finger.  
  
The rest exchanged confused glances, wavering between laughing and pitying Jin. No matter how hilarious it was to watch Jin, ‘the macho man’, fainting like a damsels in old times, they all were thanking Heavens that it was not them Kazuya chose to stay with. Because one thing was certain – Kamenashi Kazuya was going to be a pain in the ass.

 

* * *

  
It took a few minutes before Jin regained consciousness. He was confused and for a moment there, completely denied the existence of Kamenashi Kazuya until the spirit threw a pillow at him. Jin groaned in irritation, suddenly wanting to get himself wasted. He didn’t go with his plan though – being drunk while having a ghost following you wasn’t the best idea.  
  
Not seeing any other solutions to the current situation, Jin agreed it would be best to call it a day. On his way home, Jin could feel a constant presence following him just a meter or two behind. From time to time, Kazuya would move closer and blew air in Jin’s ears making him jump or shiver. Jin didn’t want to look back afraid to see nothing there. Despite knowing already what’s haunting him and that it’s not really dangerous, the thought of something he couldn’t see nor touch playing with him made his hair stand.  
  
Telling himself not to look behind his back didn’t help much at the end. When Jin felt something wet yet warm touching the exposed skin of his nape, he turned around in irritation. He blinked when he realized that he can see the ghost – he thought Kazuya would become completely invisible to scare him more. He was already opening his mouth to ask a question when Kazuya gestured to him to stay silent. The spirit pointed at a random woman that would soon pass by him.  
  
Jin’s eyes widened. He might be an unlucky one to have to bear with a ghost, but letting Kazuya scare others while he could prevent it wasn’t right. Jin was ready to pounce on the woman to save her from the mischievous creature but halted. Kazuya didn’t seem to plan any prank. He was standing, merely observing the lady with a bored expression on his face. Jin frowned and discreetly observed the situation.  
  
The woman passed by them ignoring both, Jin and the spirit. Jin was taken aback. How the woman could not see the half-transparent man? He blinked owlishly after the woman until he heard a chuckle coming from his side. When he turned towards the source of the noise, he found Kazuya trying to stifle his voice. Jin just sighed and waited for the other to calm down and _kindly_ explain it to him.  
  
“Sorry but your expression was just priceless.” Kazuya cleared his throat. “Anyway, to put it simply, only those who made me show myself to them can see me. That doesn’t mean I can’t become invisible in front of you but to do so I need energy. I don’t like wasting it though so unless it’s necessary I don’t plan on ‘disappearing’ in front of you,” Kazuya explained it with a shrug of his shoulders.  
  
“Well… good to know,” Jin snapped back before resuming his walk home, Kamenashi obediently following after his amusing ‘victim’.

 

* * *

  
The next few days were close to a nightmare for Jin. The ghost was following him everywhere; to his workplace, to the mall, to his friends’ houses and even to the toilet. Kazuya was taking every opportunity to make Jin scream in fear, sometimes also pulling in Jin’s friends, co-workers or random people from the street. Jin felt like his whole life turned upside down. He wished though that Kamenashi Kazuya would get bored of him and leave – hopefully soon.

 

* * *

  
Jin steered in his sleep when a dull sound reached his ears. He half-opened his eyes and just slightly lifted his head looking around in confusion. When after a few seconds the sound didn’t repeat itself, he put his head back down. Going back to sleep, he muttered something incoherently under his breath. The silence didn’t last long and a loud bang echoed in the room followed by a strong blow of wind coming out of nowhere and a deep creepy laughter. Jin sat up right away and looked in the direction of the frightening voice. His eyes went wide at the sight of a transparent figure coming out from the furthest, darkest corner of the room.  
  
The movement of the creature was slow but fluid, making it look like it was floating above the ground. It was breathing in a way that made one think it was standing right next to them instead of it being on the other side of the bedroom. Despite not being able to see its face and body, one could notice its long coat-like outfit waving in unison with the figure lethargic movement.  
  
Jin’s first reaction was to freeze, but the moment the scary creature stretched out a transparent hand in his direction, Jin screamed loudly and jumped out of bed. He moved as far away from the figure as he could, ending right next to his occluded window. With his heart beating madly in his chest, he had a hard time thinking about anything else except for the creature coming closer step by step. Jin frantically scanned the room for something to protect himself with. He found nothing of sort and pushed himself more into the wall behind him upon the realization. In that moment his eyes caught a sight of a tiny string of light on his right. Not really pondering about it, acting purely on instinct, Jin pulled open the sunblinds.  
  
The sunrays hit the figure, making it stop. Jin heard a quiet curse coming out from the creature’s mouth. Yes, he could see its mouth now along with the rest of its face and body and when the sight registered in his mind Jin screamed again. This time, in rage. In front of him stood no one other than his new annoying – and unwanted – ‘flat-mate’.  
  
In his anger, Jin rushed towards the spirit but instead of hitting him like he had wanted, the man ran through him. Of course, Kazuya didn’t waste any second to start laughing at Jin’s antics. He was already amused with the way the other reacted before, but seeing him trying to beat up someone without a body was adding to his delight.  
  
“Man, I wish I could take a picture of your face just a moment ago. You were almost as white as this coat.” Kazuya gestured to the cloak he had put on himself. “I wasn’t sure you would fall for it since you know I’m around now, but you did!” Kazuya laughed again, mirth shining in his pale eyes.  
  
“You… you damn asshole! Wait ‘till I find a way to get rid of you. I will make sure it’s going to make you suffer!” Jin growled pointing an accusing finger at the spirit.  
  
“Not nice~ It’s not like you didn’t know I enjoy scaring people. You should have expected things like that to happen sooner or later.” Kazuya stated with a shrug.  
  
Jin ran a hand through his hair in frustration, letting out a calming breath. He was about to start scolding Kazuya for his stupid pranks when the ringtone of his cell phone rang out somewhere in the room. Jin huffed in annoyance and quickly walked towards his nightstand to pick up the device.  
  
Kazuya watched him with a smile for once deciding to stay quiet. He liked listening on others – he got some really interesting information from that. To scare someone you need to know _what_ scares them in the first place. People tended to share such things with each other even without knowing they do that. After years of not communicating with others, Kazuya learned to listen and with time, he started to see and understand people – most times better than those who knew each other their whole lives.  
  
The spirit followed Jin silently trying to keep away from his sight in case the other realized that and didn’t want to talk with him around. He watched from a safe distance how Jin picked up his phone and stared at the display. Kazuya’s smile faded and got replaced by a frown when instead of answering, Jin disconnected the call and turned off the device.  
  
“Who was that? Why didn’t you answer?” Kazuya asked curiously, a bit confused by the man’s behavior.  
  
“Why should I tell you? You’re just a stupid, childish ghost that has nothing better to do than piss people off,” Jin said in annoyance. The call made him even more irritated than he was after Kazuya’s prank. Kazuya’s eyes hardened at the man’s rude tone.  
  
“I wonder what you would do if no one saw you nor heard you and the only thing you could do is wandering around without any purpose for years. And I told you not to call me a ghost! I’m a _spirit_ , not a ghost!” Kazuya crossed his arms.  
  
“What’s the difference anyway?!” Jin rolled his eyes at the prissy figure.  
  
“There is, but I’m not going to tell it to someone like you!”  
  
With that Kazuya turned around and marched towards Jin’s closet. Jin saw him going through the closed door before the door to his room closed with a loud bang as well. He jumped a bit at that, remembering with who he was dealing here. Nevertheless, he was too pissed at the moment to care about the sulking creature – the spirit could be slamming all his doors and windows if he wanted to and Jin would do his best ignore it. Kazuya might be a supernatural thing but he still behaved like a spoiled little brat.

 

* * *

  
Jin calmed down a few hours later after a long walk and a short session in the music studio. Once he came back home he went to his room. He tried to open his closet but the doors wouldn’t budge. Kazuya was still inside; Jin bit on his lower lip.  
  
Jin felt guilty for snapping at Kazuya. During those few hours spent outside, he realized that even if Kazuya was partly responsible for his outburst, the spirit was kind of right. Being invisible, having no body that could feel and not being able to communicate with anyone for years had to take its toll on Kazuya. Jin would probably go crazy with no one to talk to after just a few days. The spirit had to deal with loneliness for who knows how long – it was no wonder he had to find himself some kind of entertainment even if it wasn’t the most pleasant one for living people.  
  
Jin knocked gently on the closet’s door and waited for some kind of answer. When a minute passed, he tried again, this time also calling the spirit’s name. Jin put his ear onto the door and listened, he didn’t hear anything but Jin thought it was normal – a creature without a body that wasn’t breathing couldn’t possibly make any noises unless it talked.  
  
After a moment of hesitation Jin decided to open the door to check on Kazuya. He slowly peeked inside. The closet was dark and stuffed with various clothes. Jin scanned the whole thing not forgetting about all the corners. He frowned when despite meticulous searching, he couldn’t see the smaller figure anywhere. He moved forward just a bit to get a better look when something cold touched his ear.  
  
“Boo.” Jin turned around quickly with a startle.  
  
“Fuck! Stop scaring me, damn it!” He complained to the spirit that was smiling widely.  
  
“Don’t count on it. You’re hilarious with your reactions. It would be a waste not to frighten you from time to time.”  
  
“From time to time – okay. But not every few freaking hours!” Jin said while trying to calm himself – he had no intentions to fight with Kazuya again for now.  
  
“Eh? Really?” Kazuya’s eyes widened in surprise – he didn’t expect Jin to agree on letting him prank him. “Do you feel alright? Maybe you have a fever or something?” Kazuya asked, concerned, and put his ghostly hand on Jin’s forehead. Even if he was transparent, he still could feel the temperature of living creatures.  
  
“I’m fine.” Jin took a step away at the cool feeling – it wasn’t ice-cold but the sensation was a bit weird. It was a slightly pulsing feeling that gently reverberated on his whole head. Jin had to admit it was kind of nice too. It was like that warm feeling you get when you see someone close to your heart being happy; the only difference – the sensation that came from Kazuya was cooler than the one you get from loved ones.  
  
“Okay…” Kazuya answered uncertainly, looking at Jin with a small frown. Jin cleared his throat, slightly uncomfortable under the intense stare.  
  
”Anyway, I wanted to say sorry.” Kazuya blinked – he didn’t expect any apology from the man. “Even if you made fun of me, I should have thought about your situation. Being frustrated isn’t a reason to be rude to you or take it out on you so… I’m sorry,” Jin said honestly while Kazuya watched him carefully.  
  
“I forgive you. It was also my fault you did get angry in the first place,” He answered seriously and moved to sit cross-legged on the bed. “So… will you tell me who called you or I shouldn’t ask?” The spirit leaned back on his hands looking at Jin in curiosity.  
  
“It was my… my father,” Jin said tiredly and sat next to the transparent figure.  
  
“Then why didn’t you answer?” Kazuya’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion – Jin didn’t seem like the guy who would not talk to his family.  
  
“We... aren't on great terms. My folks aren’t exactly happy with my… life choices. I… don’t really want to talk about it, sorry.” Jin rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I’m going to sleep. I… need some rest.” Jin smiled apologetically at the spirit but Kazuya could see that the man was mentally exhausted.  
  
Kazuya nodded and exited the room letting the other have some time for himself. No matter how hard Jin tried to hide it, Kazuya could see that the topic of his parents was taking quite a strain on the man. If Kazuya’s observation was right, Jin had to have a strong bond between himself and his family once, and that’s why the topic made the man so frustrated and sad.  
  
Kazuya frowned at his own thoughts. Jin obviously wanted to go back to the way it was before with his parents, but for some reason, he avoided contact with them. Kazuya knew it wasn’t good, but the way Jin was at the moment and with the lack of reason for the lost bond in the first place, Kazuya could only follow Jin and wait until he or someone close to him revealed the truth.

 

* * *

  
The next day, Jin was still affected by the sudden call and all the emotions it brought back. Kazuya, seeing the usually cheerful and confident man, had unexpected urge to help improve Jin’s mood. Unfortunately, being a creature that didn’t possess a body and for many years was only by itself, Kazuya had no idea what to do to cheer the man up. It resulted in Kazuya making more small pranks on Jin hoping it will take the man’s mind away from thought of his parents.  
  
Even if Jin was getting tired of being constantly scared of one thing or another, he forgot about the uneasy topic of his family. Instead he focused on the spirit that seemed to be even more active today than he used to be. It was infuriating and Jin wished that once he gets to the studio, Kazuya would take a break and let him work peacefully.  
  
To his surprise – and happiness – Kazuya had other plans than targeting Jin with other jokes. When Jin walked into the studio, the spirit seemed to disappear. Jin frowned and stiffened then greeted his friends all the time glancing around carefully. He relaxed though when Kazuya’s shape started to appear behind Nakamaru.  
  
Kazuya was smiling widely and his eyes were shining with mischief. He missed a bit his second favorite victim, especially after he had spent most of the previous day shut in a closet. The moment he saw the man, he couldn’t help the urge to scare him. His transparent fingers were tingling with excitement.  
  
Kazuya caught Jin looking straight at him. He put a finger to his lips, signaling the man to stay quiet. With it done, Kazuya moved closer to the unsuspecting Nakamaru. In one swift movement he hugged the man from behind and blew some air into his ear – his favorite way of scaring others.  
  
“AAAHHH!!!” Nakamaru shouted loudly and ran to hide in the corner of the room, mumbling something incoherently under his nose while curled up into a ball.  
  
“Yucchi’s as funny as always,” Kazuya announced with a smile. The rest of the guys looked at the spirit in surprise – except for Jin who was barely containing his laughter.  
  
“You brought him with you, Jin?!” Nakamaru yelled pointing accusingly between the spirit and his friend.  
  
“Sorry, Yuichi. I can’t exactly make him stay put. One thing, he doesn’t listen to me and second, I have no intention coming back to see another one of his scary ‘jokes’. It’s enough I have to deal with his morning scares,” Jin said while helping his friend stand up from the floor.  
  
“Hey, I didn’t scare you this morning,” Kazuya opposed with a small pout.  
  
“No, today not. But you did do it yesterday and I doubt it was the last time.” Jin grumbled remembering the day before. His blood started to boil again.  
  
“Fine, I promise I won’t do it anymore. Jeez, you’re worse than a prissy cat. Were you always so short-tempered?” Kazuya asked the man seriously.  
  
“Yeah, whatever.” Jin rolled his eyes at the spirit.  
  
With that, Kazuya shut up and seated himself on the red couch. Everyone already saw him so setting another ‘trap’ wouldn’t be as effective as Kazuya would like. Of course, he could become invisible and try to creep down on one of the guys but he had used it on Nakamaru a moment ago – his ghostly stamina was reduced enough for one day.  
  
The guys looked between each other. They had nothing against having an audience – even if it was a ghost – but until now Kazuya was only frightening them on any occasion. A peaceful rehearsal was doubtful but with their performance being just behind the corner, they couldn’t afford to miss even one of them.  
  
When everything was ready, Jin gave a signal to start. The slow music started to stream from the speakers. It took less than a second for them to get completely absorbed by the serene melody. One by one they were joining in, their different voices mixing in harmony. They forgot about the spirit sitting in the room, about their problems and about everything that wasn’t there and then. What mattered was the melody and the lyrics that flew across the room creating a fine piece of art.  
  
The moment Kazuya heard the first notes of the song, his attention fully focused on the five men. Together they sounded amazing – from low, rough voices to smooth, high ones. It was like music became a living creature pulling you more and more to itself with every little sound it made.  
  
Kazuya was caught up with the performance that he didn’t realize when he started humming to himself. Curious about the lyrics, he moved closer and looked over Jin’s shoulder. The words fitted perfectly to the melody and the spirit got an urge he didn’t feel for years now. He wanted to sing. He was so into the sudden thought that without really thinking, he raised his voice and joined the others.  
  
The band halted for a second when a sixth voice echoed through the room but they resumed singing almost immediately. They didn’t need to be musical geniuses to know that the spirit nicely complemented their own voices. They let him be and enjoyed the new experience. Even Maru who was still terribly afraid of the transparent figure, didn’t mind Kazuya standing next to him.  
  
When the song came to an end, everyone was looking at the still humming ghost in wonder. Kazuya didn’t seem to realize that and wandered around the room searching for more lyrics – he really liked the song and wanted to hear more. He only became aware of the curious stares when Koki cleared his throat.  
  
Kazuya blinked at the five. “What? Do I have something on my face?” he asked while trying to find a mirror.  
  
“No, it’s just that… you can sing,” Jin said a bit dumbly – he was impressed yet surprised by the fact.  
  
“Okay…” Kazuya dragged out while furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.  
  
“Jin meant to say that you sound great,” Ueda explained.  
  
“Thank you.” Kazuya beamed at the group, obviously happy with the compliment.  
  
“If you’re so good, why won’t you sing instead of scaring people? You could be famous as a ‘singing ghost’!” Koki exclaimed with a wide smile – he got a bit hyper at the thought.  
  
“ _Spirit_ , not ghost. How many times do I have to tell you this?” Kazuya said in a tired voice – it was getting annoying. “And about your idea – it’s impossible.”  
  
“Why? You’re voice is very cool. It could make a _fearore_!” Junno said with a wide smile while the rest groaned at another stupid pun. Only Kazuya seemed to find it funny enough to let out a small giggle.  
  
“Well… when I first became a spirit I wasn’t exactly happy with it. I just… was. No one saw me or heard me, I couldn’t touch anything – I didn’t know how to.” Kazuya dived into his memories. “With time I started getting the hang of it. I could move small objects, I could materialize enough to be seen for a little time and I could let my voice be audible for living people. But all of these were taking a lot of energy so unless it was something short like “hello” or “bye”, doing that was pointless.”  
  
“But you’re talking to us now, right? And it’s a normal conversation, not just simple phrases.” Maru opposed.  
  
“It’s different, you summoned me. Once someone called for me, I can communicate without losing stamina,” Kazuya explained. “Going back to your question. One time following some guy I found myself in the recording studio. The man was good and I got quite hooked with his songs to the point I started singing myself. Apparently he heard me. Instead of being scared though, he wanted to have my voice as the background to one of his pieces.”  
  
“You mean he saw you? Or talked to you for that matter?” Ueda asked in surprise.  
  
“No, he didn’t. I think he thought it was just some random sound from the console or something.” Kazuya shrugged – it wasn’t important anyway.” I was happy to be able to sing along with him even if I was an anonymous voice. I went inside the recording booth and waited for the right moment. Concentrating my energy I managed to get the sound out to the living world. When the song was finished, that singer said it sounded great but…”  
  
“But?” Koki got really engrossed in the story and even that small pause made him bounce on his chair.  
  
Kazuya bit on his lower lip – the memory was still a bit unpleasant. “It turns out that a recorded voice of a ghost sounds like something between a scratched disc and a hissing whisper. Just think of any ghost-horror movie you ever saw and you get the idea.”  
  
“Wow… that’s a bit… sad,” Junno said while giving Kazuya a pitying glance.  
  
“Well, the good thing was that when the guy heard it, he was so frightened he wet his pants. I haven’t laughed so hard since before I turned into a spirit. Thanks to that man, I found myself a hobby that was taking my mind of the whole being-a-spirit thing.” Kazuya shrugged his shoulders as if saying: ‘that’s just how it is’. The silence that followed his words was awkward for the spirit so Kazuya decided it was enough pessimistic stories for the day. “Shouldn’t you, like, practice or something? Because if you call it a day I’m going to _play_ with you. I’m getting bored here, you know?” Kazuya said with a wide grin, mischief back in his eyes.  
  
Jin was the first to speak, announcing what song they should sing now. The rest, woken up from their heavy thoughts, immediately started looking for their copies of lyrics. All of them were sending the spirit short glances wondering how to help him. Maru, who until a moment ago, hated the spirit for his scary jokes, was now considering letting Kazuya prank him once in awhile. They all could see that the ghost had to be very lonely and over the years he started to deny that fact. Scaring people was a way of coping with it.  
  
They finished the rehearsal an hour later. During that time Kazuya managed to creep on them a few more times, successfully redirecting their thoughts away from his story. When the tension was eased, they all could enjoy their singing again. It didn’t mean they forgot about it but Kazuya tried to do everything so they would stop pitying him. There was nothing they could probably do other than let it be, right? After all, the most important thing was to make Kazuya feel less lonely and acting normally was the best they could do.

 

* * *

  
That evening, both Jin and Kazuya were in good moods. Jin had a chance to get some steam out while doing something he loved while Kazuya could speak to everyone without facing consequences – after hearing the story they couldn’t be angry with him. They were satisfied and relaxed. Kazuya was so content that for once he crossed-out Jin from his daily list of victims. Jin was happy with it. It was the first time he actually didn’t mind Kazuya’s presence one bit.  
  
Jin lazily sat on his couch and looked at the spirit nesting himself in a chair on the opposite side – Kazuya got kind of attached to the thing and refused to move once he was already there. Kazuya was actually looking very cozy on the old thing. For a moment Jin even thought that the spirit looked like he belonged to this place. Not only the old chair but to his apartment – to his life.  
  
Jin shook his head trying to get rid of the weird thought. He frowned wondering why something like that crossed his mind. The spirit had grown on him a bit, that’s for sure, but to actually want him here? No way! Jin knew enough annoying people, he didn’t need some ghost to add to the list  
  
Jin’s musings got interrupted by the phone going off. Jin furrowed his eyebrows in surprise. It was rather late for a call. He looked at the display and froze before throwing the phone on the couch and getting up. He went to the kitchen trying to ignore the annoying sound. A few seconds later, the phone stopped ringing.  
  
Kazuya frowned at Jin’s behavior. He followed Jin with his eyes until the man disappeared in the kitchen. With a quick glance towards the doorway, Kazuya stood up and went to the phone. He looked at the screen. He was curious and wanted to check the call log but the moment he moved closer, the phone went off again. Startled Kazuya quickly back out and sat back on the chair before Jin could see him.  
  
Jin went back to get a quick glance at his phone. He scowled at the number but didn’t pick up. The situation repeated itself three more times before Jin shut the phone off completely. With an annoyed sigh, he ran a hand through his hair before he disappeared in his bedroom, shutting the door behind himself with too much force.  
  
The loud bang made Kazuya flinch a little. With the way the man behaved, Kazuya figured out it had to be someone from Jin’s family. Kazuya looked anxiously at the phone and back at the door where Jin disappeared. He understood that Jin didn’t get along with his parents but the number of calls this evening made Kazuya worried. He might be a spirit but he knew that if someone was persistent with calling another, it meant something happened. Something, that wasn’t good.

 

* * *

  
Jin groaned and tried to ignore the disturbing sound. He covered his head with a pillow and prayed that the person in the other side of his apartment’s door would just give up and go away. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side today. The more he tried to sleep, the more persistent the person was. Jin battled with himself for one more minute before he got up from bed. Murmuring some obscenities under his breath, he went to his door. On his way he caught the sight of Kame lurking from behind the door of Jin’s bathroom. Jin ignored the curious ghost and with a scowl opened the front door.  
  
“What?” he asked without even properly looking at the culprit of his early morning wake up call.  
  
“Nice to see you too, onii-chan.” Jin blinked at the person in front of him before relaxing slightly.  
  
“Oh… come in. Want a drink or something?” From his whole family, Jin liked Reio the most. The boy was rather quiet and, most importantly, didn’t mess with his life.  
  
“Thanks and no, I’m good.”  
  
Reio walked in and went to the chair that for the last few days ‘belonged’ to Kazuya. The ghost frowned at the newcomer – it was his chair, not that guy’s. Maybe he was transparent but that piece of furniture was comfortable and Kazuya felt possessive of it a bit. Nevertheless he let it go and went to sit on one side of the couch. Jin sat on the other end.  
  
“What are you doing here, Reio? Shouldn’t you be at school?” Jin asked unhappy that his brother might be ditching school.  
  
“I came here to talk to you. I have afternoon classes today,” Reio answered and something in the tone of his voice told Jin it wouldn’t be a simple chit-chat between brothers.  
  
“Okay. What do you want to talk about then?” Jin asked concerned.  
  
Reio took a deep breath and bit on his lower lip a little – he didn’t know how Jin will take it, “Dad’s in hospital,” he said looking at his brother’s reaction.  
  
Jin froze. “Hospital? Why? Did the old man break something while rolling off the bed in the morning?” Jin asked with a roll of his eyes – he wouldn’t be surprised if that was true.  
  
“No, he actually collapsed yesterday. They said he was close to having a heart attack.” Reio glared at his older brother.  
  
“What? Heart attack?” Jin’s eyes widened in shock. He might be fighting with his father but he didn’t want anything bad happening to him.  
  
“Yes. If you picked up last night, you would know,” Reio said angrily.  
  
“I’m…” Jin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. You know how it is between me and them. I thought they just wanted to get on my nerves again.”  
  
“It wasn’t,” Reio answered sharply but his shoulders visibly relaxed – he could understand Jin a little bit. “Never mind that… Will you come to the hospital? I think mom would appreciate it. Dad too, even if he won’t say so.”  
  
Jin bit on his lower lip and looked away. “I… I will think about it.”  
  
“Okay.” Reio watched his older brother for a minute. He really wished to see him more often but with _the_ fight going on, he doubted Jin would even step into their house. He sighed inwardly and decided to change the subject. “You know, when I was at hospital yesterday I met one of my classmates.”  
  
“Something happened to him?”  
  
“No, not to him.” Reio shook his head. “It’s his older brother. He’s in a coma.”  
  
“Oh… that’s bad.” Jin frowned – he wasn’t sure why Reio was telling him that.  
  
“Yeah… You see, that classmate, Yuya-kun, is always cheerful but last night… it was the first time I saw the guy so depressed. I tried to talk to him. At first, he wanted to escape but then he told me that he comes there almost every day just to talk to his brother.”  
  
“Really? Can he even hear him?”  
  
Reio shrugged his shoulders. “No idea. But Yuya is doing it for five years now.”  
  
“Five years?!” Jin was shocked.  
  
“Yes.” Reio nodded shortly. ”I think I’m a bit envious. I mean, he loves his brother so much that he meets him every day. If it was us, we would lose hope long time ago. We would avoid going to the hospital, afraid of seeing the other lying lifelessly on the bed and we would pretend nothing had happened”  
  
“We would be angry at each other for falling into a coma in the first place.” Jin added, understanding his brother’s feelings perfectly well.  
  
“Onii-chan? Do you think that one day we will be like we used to be? I mean, meeting each other and spending time together. All of us. You, mom, dad… I want us to be together again,” Reio asked looking at Jin miserably.  
  
“I don’t know, Reio. Dad’s pretty stubborn. And so am I. I may try to get along but dad… he needs to accept the truth. Otherwise…”  
  
“You won’t come back,” Reio finished casting his look to the floor.  
  
“Sorry, Reio. I didn’t want it to be like that.” Jin felt guilty – he didn’t want to upset him.  
  
“I know. I will just hope, like Yuya does, that one day you and dad work it out,” the younger boy said with a sad smile. “I think I will go now. I need to pick up my books before going to school.”  
  
“Of course.” They both stood up and Jin accompanied Reio to the door. Once the boy put on his shoes he turned around to face his brother.  
  
“If you can, please, come to the hospital. Just for a short visit. Mom misses you even if she tries to hide it.”  
  
“I will see what I can do.”  
  
Reio nodded knowing that it was the best answer he could get at this point from Jin. They bid short farewells and Reio went home leaving Jin with his thoughts. The man sighed and closed the door before going to the bedroom to lie down and think about everything that he had just heard and decide whether or not he should visit his father.  
  
Jin was so engrossed in his thoughts that he completely forgot about the spirit that listened on his and his brother’s conversation. Kazuya stayed motionless. Many thoughts were crossing his mind. What he had heard aroused in him feelings he thought he had long forgotten. Now, they were back. Heavy and burdening...

 

* * *

  
After a few hours of rolling on the bed, Jin managed to catch some sleep. His mind wouldn’t rest, occupied by the thoughts of his father and the conversation he had with Reio the day before. He really didn’t want to go and be criticized by his dad again but whenever he thought of not going, Reio’s disappointed face flashed in front of his eyes. In the end, he had no other choice but to give in and visit the old man.  
  
For once, Kazuya stayed silent following Jin like the ghost he claimed he wasn’t. He wanted to know what Jin’s fight with his parents was all about and pissing Jin off wouldn’t help him in gaining that information.  
  
Once inside the hospital, Jin asked a nurse about his father’s room. Standing in front of the room Jin took a deep calming breath. He wasn’t ready to face the older man but for the sake of his younger brother, he had to at least try to get along with him. His mother was less of a problem. She had hard time accepting the situation but she was polite enough not to force her beliefs on Jin. She only dropped hints here and there hoping Jin might change his mind.  
  
Jin knocked on the door and without waiting for an invitation, peeked inside. His eyes immediately fell on his father’s figure lying in bed. Both his parents looked surprised with his sudden appearance. Jin took that second of consternation and maintained a safe distance from the old man – he wanted to have time to escape.  
  
Kazuya, meanwhile, sat on the window sill for a better view.  
  
“Um… Reio came to me yesterday and… told me you’re… here,” Jin said awkwardly while scratching the back of his neck.  
  
“Hello, Jin,” the woman spoke up first. Her voice was slightly strained and eyes shining with suppressed emotions – she was happy to see him, especially now when her husband was in hospital.  
  
“Hi, mom,” Jin answered softly. “Dad, how are you feeling?”  
  
“Good. I don’t know why they are still keeping me here. I’m so well that I could go back to work right this instant,” the man said with obvious displeasure.  
  
“Dear! You almost had a heart attack! The fact that you feel good doesn’t mean you don’t need to rest! If you try and get out of the bed on your own, I will ask nurses to bind you to it!” Jin’s mother reprimanded her husband. The man only huffed in annoyance but didn’t move.  
  
“So, what brings you here, Jin? I don’t think it’s about my health since you could easily call Reio and ask about it.” Akanishi-san looked at his son in wonder.  
  
Jin cleared his throat. “Well… that was part of the reason but mostly I… I wanted to talk.”  
  
The old man raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Is that so? Don’t tell me that the thought of losing your old man made you change your mind about _that_?” Jin winced at his father’s sharp words.  
  
“No, I still don’t want to take over the business,” Jin answered already starting to get irritated. He knew what his father had in mind but Jin preferred to play dumb – for his own good. “I’m here because of Reio. He wants us to get along and I’m willing to try… if you will too.”  
  
“I didn’t mean the business, even if that’s important too, and you know that. I was asking if you changed your mind about Mei-chan. Did you?” Jin’s father asked harshly. His wife flinched already having an idea how it was going to end.  
  
“Dad, how many times I have to tell you that I’m _GAY_. I don’t like girls and I have no intention to marry one. Can you accept that finally?!” Jin raised his voice feeling a building irritation.  
  
“But why? Why do you need to be gay? Is it some kind of rebellion against your parents? If so, stop it right now! You’re not a child anymore, behave like a man!” Jin’s father quickly tried to sit up but his wife pushed him back.  
  
Jin sighed, trying to calm himself at least a little before speaking. “I just am. You can’t change that, dad. And look who’s talking. If I’m behaving like a child then you’re a toddler! Get it into your thick head that I like men NOT girls! Why are you so against it anyway? Reio’s straight, he can give you an heir if it’s about that!”  
  
“But you’re my first-born! What will everyone say?!” the man shouted.  
  
“Oh~ so it’s about reputation, huh?! It’s always about you, isn’t it?! The Big Boss always has to have it his way because _HE_ is the most important!!” Jin yelled back.  
  
“How dare you?! I only want you to be happy, you ungrateful idiot!!!”  
  
“Happy?! If you want me happy then leave me alone!!!”  
  
After that, Jin immediately made a way to the door. Before he managed to shut it close, he caught a glimpse of his mother’s disappointed face. His heart broke a little but the damage was already done. Going back to the room would mean defeat and if Jin had to thank his father for something, it was his stubbornness.

 

*

  
Kazuya flinched at the bang of the closing door. He hadn’t seen Jin so angry before. He listened to the whole conversation. The fact that Jin liked guys surprised him – Jin looked like a typical player if he was to be honest – but he found the father’s reaction a bit… unnatural. Yes, it could be a shock to the older man that his son preferred his own gender but his words puzzled Kazuya. The man seemed to be genuinely hurt by Jin’s accusations of caring more about reputation than him.  
  
“Relax, Honey. You need to rest, remember?” Jin’s mother tried to compose her husband.  
  
“I’m sorry, Darling, but that… that…” the man sighed in defeat. “Can’t he understand that we’re worried about him?”  
  
“He knows that but he doesn’t appreciate us messing with his life. He wants to make his own decisions and you should finally let him,” the woman spoke softly.  
  
“But what if-“  
  
“Then if that ‘if’ happens we will be there for him and if he asks, we’re going to help him. Now go to sleep,” she cut the conversation before her husband would start coming up with all possible scenarios.  
  
Kazuya furrowed his eyebrows at the talk the Akanishis had. His earlier feelings were confirmed – the man really was hurt but… he was at fault too for getting hurt like that. Both men were very stubborn, loud and short-tempered and Kazuya was absolutely sure that by yelling at each other like that, they misunderstood each other. If it happened every time they met, Kazuya wasn’t even surprised they grew apart. He could bet that Jin and his father both wanted to say something else but because of their characters their words always sounded wrong.  
  
Kazuya stayed for a moment longer in the room thinking before he followed Jin back to the man’s apartment. He wanted to talk to him and make the man face his father again – this time without yelling. He knew it was going to be a hard task, but he couldn’t let them stay this way.  
  
They were a family and a family needs to be together no matter what.

 

* * *

  
When Kazuya got to Jin’s flat, he found the other man lying unmoving on the couch. Kazuya didn’t have to do much to realize that Jin was in a bad mood. He wasn’t surprised by that. The talk between father and son was harsh and only made the two men get further away from each other.  
  
Kazuya sat on his favorite chair and stared at Jin. He didn’t know how to start the conversation so the man wouldn’t escape. Thankfully Jin sensed the spirit’s presence and spoke first.  
  
“Don’t even think of scaring me. I’m not in the mood,” Jin announced not even looking at Kazuya, his arm put over his eyes.  
  
“I didn’t think about it,“ he answered softly hoping the man won’t react badly. “I wanted to talk about your father.”  
  
Jin snorted in irritation, “There’s nothing to talk about. My old man is an asshole, that’s all there is to it.”  
  
“You’re wrong. He really cares about you, you know?”  
  
“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” Jin said harshly getting more irritated with every word that came from the spirit.  
  
“Fine. Don’t talk about it with me. Talk to your father.”  
  
“Why are you so pushy about it? Had problems with family when you were alive and now want to fix mine?” Jin snapped annoyed.  
  
Kazuya ignored the question, “If you talk without screaming at each other at least once, you will see it’s just a misunderstanding. Your father was very sad when you said he only cares about himself and not you.”  
  
“You’re just a ghost! You don’t know my father! How can you know what he feels about me?! You can’t read minds, do you?!” Jin said angrily.  
  
Kazuya sighed and decided to try a different type of approach, “I told you I’m a spirit, right?” Jin nodded but inwardly he rolled his eyes – he still didn’t get why Kazuya corrected everyone all the time. “Do you want to know what the difference between a ghost and a spirit is?”  
  
Jin sat up and looked at Kazuya curiously – he wondered about the whole ‘spirit-ghost’ thing for a while now. “Yeah. You’re always angry when we say otherwise and I don’t get why. Will you finally tell me?”  
  
Kazuya nodded and took a deep breath. “Basically, being a ghost and being a spirit is the same but there’s one difference. Those who are spirits are still alive.”  
  
Jin gave Kazuya a confused look. “What? What do you mean by ‘they are still alive’?”  
  
“Exactly what you heard. Being a spirit means that I’m alive. I’m a human just… my soul isn’t in my body.”  
  
“So somewhere out there…”  
  
“Yes, somewhere out there lies my body; probably hooked up to some medical apparatuses. That’s why I said I have no business to finish. I am not dead,” Kazuya said with a sad shrug.  
  
“But…then why won’t you go back? To your body, I mean.”  
  
“I don’t want to.” Kazuya looked at the side avoiding Jin’s eyes.  
  
“Why? Don’t you want to live?”  
  
“No, I don’t.” Jin was completely shocked – if it was him he would love to go back and live. He would want to see his friends and family, even if they would end up fighting. He had dreams and he would like to make them come true. He couldn’t grasp why Kazuya wouldn’t like to come back. Didn’t he have something he wanted to do? People to live for? “You were right about one thing. I did have problems with my family or rather I was their problem. And maybe I’m selfish right now but I don’t want you to repeat my own mistakes, Jin. I know you love your parents and I also know they love you too. The only problem between you is lack of communication. Trust me when I say that you need to talk it out. You need to tell your father what you feel or else he won’t understand. Just like you don’t understand your father. You’re very alike, you know,” Kazuya said with a small smile.  
  
Jin watched the spirit attentively. There was something more behind those words but Jin knew he shouldn’t ask. Not right now, anyway. He could see Kazuya was sincere – he really wanted to help Jin. And those sad eyes… for some reason, Jin didn’t want to see the spirit so gloomy – it didn’t suit him. And maybe, just maybe, Kazuya was right. They were always yelling at each other. They never talked like normal people – calmly listening to both sides of the story. Maybe it was really the time for a heart-to-heart talk?  
  
“Tomorrow, dad’s going to be discharged from the hospital. I will try to talk to him when we get home but… would you be there? I don’t think I will be able to stop myself from yelling if he says some bullshit again,” Jin said weakly – he didn’t feel ready to face his father yet but… he didn’t think he would ever feel ready.  
  
“Of course. I’m always with you, did you forget? I won’t go away until I find someone funnier than you. Your screams are the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard,” Kazuya answered with a big playful grin. Normally Jin would scowl at the spirit’s attitude but for some reason he found it oddly comforting this time. He just wasn’t sure if it’s about the fact Kazuya really would be with him tomorrow or the fact that the spirit was smiling so brightly again.

 

* * *

  
When Jin appeared at the hospital the next day, his dad just looked at him angrily but didn’t say a word. Jin didn’t say anything either. He was already stiff, knowing that whether he wanted to or not, he had agreed to talk with his father later and Jin didn’t break his promises – not even to spirits.  
  
While Jin’s mother was packing her husband’s bag, Jin decided to wait in front of the hospital. He needed to accumulate some courage before _the_ talk. He lighted up a cigarette and leaned on the wall.  
  
Kazuya was standing close by, but he kept quiet. Actually, the spirit had said barely few words since morning. It was strange for Jin as Kazuya rarely shut up once he scared Jin at the beginning of the day. But today was different. Something was bothering the spirit. Jin really wanted to know what it was but his priority was his father. Kazuya needed to wait.  
  
While Jin was smoking away his anxiousness, someone suddenly clapped him strongly in the back. The man jumped up in startle and turned around. His eyes widened slightly and a grin started to form on his face. In front of him stood no one other but one of his best friends, Shirota Yuu.  
  
“Jin, long time no see! I’m glad I met you here, man! I heard your father’s in here,” Shirota asked while stretching his arm for a handshake.  
  
“Likewise. Are you still a nurse? I can’t believe you actually became one. Dad comes out today. I’m actually waiting for him and mom,” Jin answered, shaking his friend’s hand.  
  
“Yeah, it’s a cool job. I can gossip however much I want and all those ladies~ I’m pretty popular with other nurses – I’ve got some advantages.” Yuu winked and Jin laughed at his friend’s playful attitude. “Really? _You_ are waiting for your _father_? I thought you hate each other.” Yuu couldn’t hide his surprise.  
  
“It’s… complicated.” Jin sighed in exhaustion. “I need to straighten things up with him one day. Why not today? Even Reio came to me a few days ago asking me to make up with dad. I think it’s the time to do so.” Jin shrugged still a bit unsure about how it was going to be once he faces his father.  
  
Shirota frowned not really expecting Jin to try to mend things with his old man. “Still, it’s pretty sudden. Reio was trying to convince you to do it even before. What made you change your mind now?”  
  
“Well… he told me about his friend who almost every day visits his brother who’s in a coma. I thought it takes a lot of courage to go see someone that may not even hear you. I think, in a way, I felt like an absolute asshole for not even visiting father. And what if he died? I don’t want to regret never making up with him. I would miss the old man if something happened to him and wouldn’t stand the thought that I hated him even in his last minutes,” Jin explained. It wasn’t the real reason why Jin decided to mend things but once he said it, Jin realized how true his own words were. It somehow softened Jin’s heart. He really wanted to be able to be with his family without screaming at each other every time.  
  
“That makes sense. You’re both pretty stubborn, so good luck. You will need a lot of patience as well,” Shirota said with a serious voice.  
  
“Thanks. And I know.” Jin smiled and Yuu patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.  
  
“By the way, when you mentioned about your brother’s friend, you reminded me about a certain guy in a coma. All his family comes to visit him. They are here almost every day.”  
  
Jin frowned. “Maybe it’s the same guy.”  
  
“Maybe.” Shirota shrugged his shoulders. “They still believe the boy will wake up but the chances are very low. He’s been in a coma for the past five years.”  
  
“Reio said his friend has been visiting his brother for the past five years too.“  
  
“Then it’s probably the same person. That’s amazing, you know? To love someone so much that you won’t even think that person can die. They have so much hope… If everyone was like that, this world would be a much better place.” Shirota took out a cigarette for himself and lighted it up.  
  
“You’re right. It is incredible. Do you think he will wake up?”  
  
Yuu shrugged. “Don’t know. The boy’s older brothers apparently believe he will. They asked me to call them if he woke up or moved a little or something and they weren’t there at the time. Really, the guy should just listen to them and finally come back. They love him so damn much. When you look at them you can see right away two things: their love for the guy and how sad and hurt they are he’s not with them fully, body _and_ soul.” Shirota clicked his tongue – he really felt bad for this family.  
  
Jin watched his friend. It was rare for Yuu to be so emotional about his patient, but apparently the family’s constant visits and their feelings made an impression on his friend. Well, Jin couldn’t deny it, he was amazed as well. He wanted to have such a connection with his own family. Hopefully he will be able to gain it today.  
  
Jin looked at Kazuya with the corner of his eye. The spirit was looking at the ground engrossed in thoughts. Could it be he thought about the guy in a coma? After all, the boy lying in there may be a spirit just like Kazuya was. Maybe there was a chance Kazuya might communicate with that guy and ask him to go back to his family?  
  
The same moment Jin wanted to ask – thoughtlessly, in Shirota’s presence – Kazuya about that, Jin’s parents came out of the hospital. “That’s my cue,” he said while releasing a calming breath. “See you later.”  
  
“Yeah, see ya.”  
  
The two men nodded to each other in farewell and Jin went to his parents. He put his dad’s bag into the trunk and walked to the front seat. The ride home was rather quiet, only from time to time, Jin’s mother would try to break the silence by asking question or instructing Jin on driving. It was a bit unnerving but Jin preferred it over his father’s complains every time Jin was behind the steering wheel.  
  
Jin parked at the front of the house, right before the door so his father wouldn’t have to walk a long distance. While Jin’s mom was escorting her husband into the house, Jin took out the bag. When he turned around and looked at the place he avoided for months, Jin suddenly felt scared. Not in a way he’s normally scared when Kazuya pranks him. It was a fear of being rejected, by his parents nonetheless.  
  
Jin stood in the front yard completely unmoving. Kazuya glanced at him and it didn’t take him even a second to realize that the man was terrified of his meeting with his father. He could understand those feelings pretty well so he came up to Jin and smiled at him reassuringly.  
  
“It’s going to be alright. I know that,” Kazuya said softly a gentle smile playing on his lips. If he could, he would even pat Jin on the shoulder to encourage him.  
  
Jin eyed the spirit while worrying his lower lip before nodding in agreement. “Yeah… thank you. For everything.”  
  
“I’m going to be there with you. If you feel like you’re going to explode or if you need to remind yourself why you’re doing it, just look at me. And remember that it’s your family. They love you no matter what.”  
  
With that said, Jin took a deep breath and walked inside the house. He put the bag on the floor in the hall and looked around. Everything was the same as when he had left. All the tables were decorated with pretty flowers put into vases, liquor cabinet was still half-full of bottles that different relatives bought as birthday presents and the wardrobe was still so full of different coats that none of them wear anymore. The sight of it made Jin smile. It was good to know nothing had change.  
  
Slowly Jin made his way to the living room where his mother was fussing over his father. The old man complained, saying he was alright and didn’t need anything but when he saw Jin, he stopped. Jin’s mother also stilled her movements and looked at her son. Jin cleared his throat awkwardly. It was now or never.  
  
“Dad, I want to talk to you.”  
  
“We did talk, didn’t we? I don’t think there’s anything else to talk about,” the older man growled.  
  
“Dad, I… I want us to talk seriously without all that yelling that, I admit it, I am partially responsible for. I... I want you to know my reasons and I also want to hear yours. I want to talk about our feelings, dad. I know it’s unmanly but someone made me realize that we’re never honest with our feelings, that we… misunderstand each other. I want to see if, maybe, we can try and be a happy family again. The one that doesn’t fight on every occasion,” Jin spoke calmly while approaching his father and sitting next to him.  
  
The older man glared at him before sighing deeply. “Fine.”  
  
“Then… I would like to know why you’re so persistent on me are marrying that girl, Mei-chan?”  
  
“I just want you to be happy. That’s all,” the man said a bit childishly.  
  
Jin groaned in resignation. “Dad, I _AM_ happy. I don’t understand why you think I’m not.”  
  
“I don’t mean now, you idiot.”  
  
Jin raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Then what do you mean? Be honest with me, dad.”  
  
“Huh… I mean later. I know you’re happy with your life now but what about the future. I…” the man stopped a bit flustered about having to talk about such embarrassing things. “I… I’m afraid that… that one day you will become alone. I know, I know. There are many guys out there and you will probably find someone nice but what if you don’t? I can’t help but be scared. If you married, you could have children and then, when you’re old there will be someone to look after you. That’s what I thought.”  
  
“Dad…” Jin was surprised by his father’s concern. He felt… touched. “Thank you. For worrying about me. I didn’t think… But dad, I’m okay. I don’t want to marry a girl just to have children. It would be unfair to her. To the both of us. I want to be happy with the person I love by my side. That person will be a man and that’s something you can’t change. No one can.”  
  
“I know but…” the man sighed again and Jin put his palm on his father’s hand.  
  
“I know you want what’s best for me but… I already accepted the possibility of staying alone for a long, long time but dad, I’m not alone. I have you, I have mom, I have Reio and my friends. And when Reio marries and has children I will become an uncle. I’m not going to be alone. Actually, if we bury the hatchet you’re not going to get rid of me that easily anymore.” Jin looked into his father’s eyes with a smile trying to see if his words reached his father. The old man did the same looking for sincerity. Finally he nodded while squeezing his son’s hand.  
  
“I get it son. I will stop persuading you to marry Mei-chan. But that doesn’t mean I will stop being worried about you. You’re my son and I care about you. I want to make sure you’re in good hands… So when you find some boy, bring him for dinner. I need to make sure he’s not going to break your heart.”  
  
“Dad~” Jin whined childishly but he could see a teasing smile of his father. “Stop joking around.”  
  
“Who said I’m joking? I want to meet my son-in-law,” the man stated while ruffling his son’s hair.  
  
“Stop that! I’m not a child anymore,” Jin complained while rearranging his hairdo. “And fine. When I find someone, I will bring him home.”  
  
“Good. Now help me to the kitchen. I’m hungry. Your mom probably already prepared everything for the four of us.”  
  
“Should I take it as an invitation for dinner?” Jin smirked trying to tease his father.  
  
“Shut up, brat,” the man groaned out making Jin laugh.  
  
Kazuya watched with a smile as father and son went to the kitchen to spend time together. He was proud of Jin for being able to reconcile with his father. Of course, Kazuya knew it wasn’t the last fight between the two men but he also knew that the next time, Jin will know what to do. He himself felt happy for being able to help.  
  
Kazuya’s smile faltered a bit when the men disappeared from his sight. The conversation just now, reminded him of his own family. He felt regret and yet he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to talk things out with his parents like Jin just did. During his time before he became a spirit, he made a lot of mistakes. Those mistakes were a reason for his current state. He didn’t know if his family would like to have him back after all he had done.  
  
Maybe it was better to stay the way he was…

 

* * *

  
Jin came back home with a wide smile plastered on his face. It was a great day – he finally managed to make up with his father and they spent a nice evening having fun, talking about sports and all those random things you would normally talk about with people you’re close to. It was nice to see both of his parents smiling and laughing like they always did when he was a little kid. It made the meeting even more special and Jin wished it would be like that always.  
  
Jin put his keys into a bowl placed next to the door on a wardrobe and took off his coat. While whistling happily some lame but catchy tune he had heard on the radio, Jin walked into his small living room. When his eyes landed on the old chair staying in the corner, he stopped moving and paled. On the chair was sitting Kazuya.  
  
A very _pissed_ Kazuya.  
  
The spirit had his arms crossed and he glared at Jin accusingly. He was displeased with the fact Jin forgot about him and left him at his parents’ house. Good thing spirits could move rather quickly around places so, in the end, Kazuya arrived before Jin. Nevertheless, it was not nice of Jin to leave him behind.  
  
“You left me~” Kazuya complained pointing at Jin with an accusing finger.  
  
“I’m sorry! I was so overwhelmed with the whole thing about my father I forgot you came with me. I am truly sorry!” Jin apologized while bowing to the spirit. He really was sorry but he was also scared Kazuya might come up with some very frightening pranks as a form of revenge.  
  
“You better be,” Kazuya murmured nesting himself more comfortably in the chair. “I am transparent but _you_ see me. Don’t ignore the spirit!” Kazuya pouted childishly.  
  
Jin blinked suddenly remembering about something he wanted to ask the spirit, “Hey, earlier at the hospital you heard my conversation with Yuu, right?” Kazuya nodded slowly rather confused by the change of topic. “Can spirits communicate with each other? I thought you could go talk with that guy in a coma. That Reio’s friend’s older brother. He’s a total idiot for not coming back when his family waits for him for so damn long. Pretty selfish of him if you ask me.” Jin clicked his tongue.  
  
“It’s not so easy to just go back,” Kazuya answered in a hard voice – for some reason he seemed angry.  
  
“Huh? Why not?” Jin asked clueless.  
“And why do you think I’m stuck like this? It’s not like I want to be like that,” Kazuya said harshly.  
  
“But you said it yourself, right? You don’t want to go back but maybe that guy would think about going back for the sake of his family and all…”  
  
“I don’t care!” Kazuya yelled surprising Jin. “Did you even consider that the guy might not want to be alive? Maybe he thinks that he will only hurt his family by going back? Have you thought that it’s as easy as saying ‘hey, your family’s waiting, go to your body’ and, _poof~_ , everything’s good?! For your information, it’s not! Spirits… spirits are what they are because we have reasons of which we don’t want to be back and yet we can’t go away as well. We’re stuck in between because we did something we can’t forgive ourselves for. Something… our families shouldn’t forgive us for,” Kazuya whispered the last part so it wouldn’t reach Jin’s ears.  
  
After the spirits’ speech, the room fell in silence. Jin was staring at the other who was looking to the floor. There was something more to it all but the anger that started to form in Jin, made him unable to see it. He couldn’t understand how someone could not want to go back to the family that loved them dearly, to someone who cared and waited for them. How could someone be so selfish to even think they might not want him back when they were every day visiting his unmoving body waiting for a single sign of progression?  
  
“Why? What did any of you do for it to be more important than your loving, waiting family?!” Jin screamed back surprising Kazuya who looked at him in an instant “Yeah, you might’ve done something stupid and unforgivable but your family forgave you despite that! They don’t care what you did, they just want you back! They want you to be with them, isn’t that enough of a reason to go back?! To be with those who you love and they love you back?! That’s so… selfish! Worrying them, making them cry, ignoring their pleas, _forgetting_ they too have feeling and are hurt and sad you’re not there…” Jin stopped mid sentence and started biting on his lower lip with frustration. “Yeah, that kind of person really should be dead because they are too scared to face people they love and instead prefer hurting them over and over again. You’re not a spirit because you don’t want to hurt your family. You are one because you’re running away from them. You don’t care about them. The only thing you care about, is _you_ ,” Jin spitted out angrily finally understanding who Kazuya was – a selfish brat.  
  
Kazuya was stunned by Jin’s words. He was staring at the man in shock. He could almost feel the hatred that emanated from the other. When Jin went to his room, slamming the door shut behind him, Kazuya stayed in his chair and curled into a ball. He felt like crying but that wouldn’t change anything. Wouldn’t change the fact that Jin was right. Spirits were selfish beings. He wasn’t an exception.

 

*

  
Kazuya thought long about Jin’s words. He was running away just like the man said but he had his reasons. But… there were things he didn't think of. He remembered his first few weeks as a spirit. He was walking among people and yet he couldn’t contact them. In that state he heard some many things, so many words that hurt from his close ones nonetheless. Could someone really blame him for escaping? For wanting to be away? For wanting to be… dead?  
  
He felt weak. He felt beaten. He felt… unloved.  
  
But maybe it was the time to face the present? He lingered in the past, in what once someone said while being sad and depressed. Feelings change, people forgive even if they not always forget. Should he too forgive himself and move on? Was it okay to go back? To burden his family again? Or maybe he wasn’t a burden, maybe he was… awaited…

 

*

  
A transparent form loomed over a sleeping man observing his face illumined by the moon. This was probably the last time Kazuya saw Jin. The spirit didn’t know if he would even remember the man when he would wake up in his body but, for some reason, he wanted to memorize the person that influenced him so much. The person that made him realize how wrong he was.  
  
The spirit smiled at the man who grimaced in his sleep when a single stray of hair tickled him. Kazuya used his energy to gently tuck it behind Jin’s ear before leaning down to whisper to it.  
  
“Thank you, Jin. For everything. I hope you will find your happiness.”  
  
Kazuya stood and gave the man one last glance before slowly disappearing into the night.

 

* * *

  
When Jin woke up in the morning, the first thing that caught his attention was the overwhelming silence. Jin frowned. He was used to being welcomed by something scary every morning but today, Kazuya didn’t do anything. It was very weird and unusual.  
  
At the thought of the spirit, Jin’s mood worsened. He really didn’t want to see the other’s face right now but he was sure Kazuya was lingering in the chair he claimed as his. When Jin opened the door, expecting to see the annoying face, he immediately came to a stop. Kazuya wasn’t there as well.  
  
With a raising suspicion, Jin carefully checked all the places he thought Kazuya could be planning a prank for him. He was surprised to realize that the spirit was nowhere in sight. Jin shrugged and came to a conclusion that the spirit got mad at him after yesterday and sulked somewhere where he knew Jin wouldn’t find him.  
  
With that thought, Jin got ready for work.

 

*

  
Jin came back home in the late afternoon. He expected Kazuya's good mood to be back and this time he was really waiting for him with some scary trap but when he went in, there was no trace of the spirit.  
  
The situation didn’t change hours later, or even in the morning, making Jin confused. When two days passed, Jin finally understood.  
  
Kazuya was gone.  
  
When the man grasped the sense of his own thoughts, a big smile blossomed on his lips. Kazuya was gone. No more stupid jokes. No more screaming like a girl. No more feeling like a total idiot talking to himself. He was free. Free! It was calling for celebration.  
  
Jin skipped happily to the kitchen and took out a beer. He opened it and took a big swig. Next, he put the bottle on the table in the living room and started going through his collection of DVD’s. Meanwhile he pulled out his cell phone and called for a takeout pizza. Normally he would prefer to cook himself to save some money but it was a special occasion.  
  
That annoying pain in the ass was gone.

 

* * *

  
Three weeks passed. Kazuya was gone. And Jin had to admit it. He missed the spirit. More than he had thought he would.  
  
First days after Kazuya’s disappearance were great. He didn’t have to worry that something jumping out of his closet; that he would find his apartment covered in cobwebs or that he was going to be woken up in the middle of the night. But with time passing, Jin started to feel lonely. He got used to the spirit and his jokes and now, when he was gone, it just wasn’t the same anymore. It didn’t feel right.  
  
It didn’t feel right not to have Kazuya there with him.  
  
Jin tried to forget about the spirit. He engrossed himself with work and music but the more he tried to forget, the more his thoughts were taken back to the time when Kazuya was still with him. It frustrated Jin to no end but after days of ignoring his feelings, he had to accept the fact that Kazuya became something more than just an annoying transparent creature. He became a friend.  
  
A friend Jin became very worried about.  
  
Jin bit on his lower lip in and quickly analyzed the situation. He stood up sharply and with determination started pacing around the room. He needed to find Kazuya. He hoped Kazuya didn’t do anything stupid like trying to kill himself in some way and instead decided to go back to his family. Now there was a question how can he find him? Jin tried to come up with a place Kazuya could be at, but when he realized there were so many hospitals around, he felt frustration taking over. He didn’t even know if Kazuya was from Tokyo and even if he was, he could be anywhere.  
  
Jin needed help. He quickly pulled on his coat and dashed towards the music studio. He hoped his friends would be there and thankfully, they were. Panting slightly from all the running, Jin sat on the coach and explained the situation to his surprised friends.  
  
“So he disappeared? Just like that?” Koki asked, still a bit stunned.  
  
“Yes. I went to sleep and the next day he was gone.” Jin nodded.  
  
“But… I thought you would be happy about it,” Maru said abashed – he himself felt a bit glad.  
  
“At first I was but… I think I started to like him. Like a friend, I mean. Now, that he’s gone it’s kind of empty in my flat.”  
  
“But you’re aware that if you find him and he’s human again, he won’t live with you anymore?” Ueda asked wondering if the younger man didn’t rush into things head first too much.  
  
“I don’t even know if he’s going to remember me,” Jin answered with a grimace. “But I want to find him anyway. I want to become his friend again if I have to. He might’ve been a pain in the ass but thanks to him, I managed to mend things up with my parents. He was there for me through _the_ talk. He was cheering me up when I was feeling down. Somehow, before I even become aware of it, we started to act more like friends than a spirit and his victim,” Jin explained with a shrug.  
  
“But, Jin… You barely know him, don’t you?” Junno asked concerned.  
  
“Yeah, I don’t know much about him, but before he disappeared, he started to open up to me. Even if it was unconscious, he had to trust me just a bit to react so harshly when I spoke about that guy from the hospital. The one in a coma. The way he said things… It was like he was talking about himself. If that’s how it was, I want to help him,” Jin said with determination.  
  
“Jin? Are you _absolutely_ sure you want to find him?” Ueda asked in a serious voice.  
  
“Yes.” The answer was short but held more power than any motivational speech did.  
  
Tatsuya sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Yuichi, you said that Kazuya appeared in your flat after you visited your uncle, right? What hospital was it?”  
  
“Hm? Oh… it was the same one Jin’s father was admitted to.” The moment these words exited Nakamaru’s mouth, Jin’s eyes widened.  
  
Ueda frowned. “The same hospital?”  
  
“Could it be… the guy in a coma, the one Shirota and Yuya talked about, could it be Kazuya?” Jin asked while looking for confirmation from Tatsuya.  
  
“From what we know, he might be. Is there any way we can confirm that?”  
  
“Yuu probably knows. He said the boy’s brothers asked him to let them know if something happens. Let me call him,” Jin declared and immediately dialed Shirota’s number. “Hey, Yuu, can you help me with something?” Jin asked the moment the phone connected.  
  
_”Yeah, sure man. What is it?”_  
  
“Can you tell me what’s the name of that boy in a coma? The one visited every day by his family members?”  
  
_“Huh? I don’t know Jin... there’s the whole medical secrecy thing and all… Why do you need to know it anyway?”_  
  
“Please, Yuu. It’s very important. I think I might know that boy,” Jin said feeling desperate.  
  
_“Eh? Really?”_ Then came a long silence in which Jin held his breath. _”Okay, I will tell you. The guy comes out of the hospital in a few days anyway,”_ Shirota agreed.  
  
“Eh?” Jin’s eyes widened. The boy was coming out… So he woke up in the end. Now if it really was Kazuya, Jin would be the happiest person on Earth in that moment.  
  
_“Okay, the guy’s name is… Kamenashi Kazuya. Just don’t tell anyone I told you. I don’t want to get fired. See you later, man.”_  
  
“Thank you. See ya.” Jin ended the call and stared dumbly at it. Other guys observed him with worry but when the man looked up at them, they could see his eyes sparkling with delight.  
  
“So? Is it Kazuya?” Koki asked feeling excited himself – he took a liking to the boy during those few times they saw each other.  
  
“Yeah. And guess what?” Jin asked with a smile.  
  
“What?” Junno asked obliviously.  
  
“He woke up. Kazuya woke up!” Jin yelled and hugged the first person that came into his arms reach which was Nakamaru. The guy seemed surprised but he didn’t complain – he felt glad at hearing the news.  
  
“That’s great Jin. What are you going to do now?” Ueda asked – on his lips was also playing a smile. Kazuya grew on all of them at some point.  
  
“Well… I plan on visiting him as soon as possible. The quicker I get to know if he remembers me, the quicker I can try to befriend him fully,” Jin answered enthusiastically letting go of the older man.  
  
“And what if he doesn’t want to see you?” It was a possibility that bothered all five of them.  
  
“I don’t care. I’m going to follow him until he changes his mind or calls the cops,” Jin said with a wide grin and Ueda looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “I know I’m crazy but I’m also stubborn. I know I will be able to win him over.”  
  
“Good you are so confident about it.” Ueda nodded in approval. “Okay then. Tomorrow we’re going to visit Kamenashi Kazuya.”  
  
The announcement surprised Jin and made others cheer. They wanted to see Kazuya as well. They didn’t spend much time with him but he wasn’t a bad guy. They knew it. He loved to sing and who knows? Maybe they could even scout him to their group? They wanted to get to know him better just like Jin, even if they would have to wait for Kazuya to get used to them once again.  
  
Jin smiled at the sight of his friends happy faces. He was glad they were willing to accept Kazuya even if as a spirit he was a nuisance. He became an important part of their group without any of them even knowing about it. Jin couldn’t wait to talk to the boy. He truly wanted to meet him again.  
  
As soon as possible.

 

* * *

  
**_# Three weeks earlier #_**  
  
Kazuya tried to open his eyes. The sun was streaming through the window making the boy squint his eyes. It took him a while to accustom to the sunlight but when he did Kazuya slowly moved his head to the side, studying the place he was in. There wasn’t much in his sight – only white walls, a simple chair and a small night table.  
  
The boy’s mouth felt dry. Kazuya tried to get up but he felt like all of his limbs were made of iron. He closed his eyes again and tried to understand his situation. He was confused. Where was he? What he was doing here? Why he was so weak that he couldn’t even sit up?  
  
Kazuya took a shaking breath and tried again to lean on his arms. At a turtle’s pace he climbed up the bed and leaned on the pillows in half-sitting position. Now he could see more clearly and it didn’t take him long to know he was in a hospital. He tried to remember how he had ended up there but his head hurt. He took a few calming breaths, trying not to panic.  
  
He snapped his eyes open when the images of his past flashed through his mind. A bunch of guys running up to him and beating him up in an abandoned alley. An hour earlier he had sneaked into some shady bar and actually stolen the money but there had been cameras. They had seen him and followed him. He had run but they caught him. After that, there was nothing.  
  
Actually… not ‘nothing’; there _was_ something  
  
Kazuya felt confused. Those gangsters had wanted him dead and it was very close to it. The pain, the feeling of losing consciousness, he had troubles breathing – he was sure it’s going to be over. He was going to die but… he was alive, in a hospital bed.  
  
Kazuya looked at his hands. They seemed bigger even if a bit bony. He took a small mirror that he had found on the nightstand and with a shaking hand looked into it. His eyes widened at the sight. The face seemed familiar and yet foreign to him. He touched his hair – it was longer now. He changed. A lot. But how much exactly? Kazuya looked around the room and saw a calendar hanging on one of the wall. He squinted his eyes a bit and read it. He froze when a realization hit him.  
  
Five years.  
  
Since the day he was stupid enough to steal from gangsters, five years had passed.  
  
Kazuya rubbed his eyes tiredly. He knew he shouldn’t remember anything from these past five years but… there were images. Faces of people he was sure he had never met before. Not as a human anyway.  
  
Kazuya blinked at the thought. He… wasn’t human. Not for the past five years. He had become a spirit – a transparent creature similar to a ghost with the difference that he was still alive; in a coma. He had loved scaring people – it was his way of dealing with his loneliness and problems. Then… he had met someone. A man. He was called… he was called…  
  
Jin…  
  
The man was called Jin and he… he…  
  
Kazuya shut his eyes again at the pain and lay down again. When the pain lessened, he opened his eyes again staring blankly at the ceiling. He remembered talking to that man, living in his apartment and something about the guy’s parents. Kazuya wasn’t sure what it was though.  
  
Had something happened while he was with that man? Why had he decided to come back to his body? He shouldn’t be alive, he didn’t deserve it! He had planned to stay as a spirit until his death but here he was, breathing and awake. What was going to happen now? What his family was going to think? They surely hated him, he was sure of that. Would they accept him? Did they even… care anymore? He had lost five years. Were they even visiting him during all this time?  
  
Kazuya curled up on his side. He knew he should call for a nurse to let someone know he was awake but he felt so scared and insecure. He had made so many mistakes in his short life already. He brought a lot of pain to his parents and brothers. Did they miss him or did they pray he would never wake up?  
  
There were so many questions in his head and Kazuya had no answers to any of them. He knew there had to be a reason he came back but he didn’t remember. He couldn’t tell if Jin and his friends succeeded in exorcising him or it was his own decision. And even if it was, what made him do it? What was the reason he chose to live?

 

*

  
Kazuya woke up again to the sound of voices coming out from behind the door. His figure stiffened and for a moment there, he considered faking he was still in a comatose state but he knew he would have to face his relatives sooner or later.  
  
Kazuya moved to his back and slowly propped himself on the pillows, the same moment the door got opened. The first person Kazuya saw was his mother talking animatedly to his father and brothers. They all seemed engrossed in what she was talking about except for Yuya who was merely nodding from time to time to show he was listening. Because of that it was Yuya exactly who first looked at the bed and saw his older brother looking at him tiredly. Yuya blinked and rubbed his eyes quickly. When the image didn’t disappear, Yuya’s mouth and eyes opened widely in shock. Kazuya smiled weakly at the reaction.  
  
“Guys…” Yuya started in a whisper before raising his voice. “Guys! Kazuya-nii! He is awake!”  
  
And with that everyone snapped their heads to look at the bed while Yuya rushed to his brother’s side in happiness. Kazuya’s mother choked and followed her younger son along with her husband – the father trying to stop his youngest son from hugging the barely sitting boy. Kazuya’s two older brothers stood at the door stunned.  
  
The woman was staring at her third child with shiny eyes. They were all too shocked to utter a single word. They didn’t believe it was really happening. They’ve been waiting five years for the boy to wake up but there was never any progress. And now, he was sitting on his hospital bed looking at them with tired but watchful eyes.  
  
Kazuya looked at everyone’s faces. They were stiff, overwhelmed by many different emotions. Many but not with hatred. They were waiting for some kind of a sign that it was not a dream. The boy could see, they want confirmation he really was there with them. He could feel his hammering heart beating loudly in his chest. He was scared of their reaction. But he was also so happy to be able to see them again and wanted nothing more but to hear their voices, even if they were going to be accusing, scolding or painful.  
  
“Hi, mom,” Kazuya said weakly, his voice hoarse and harsh, not used to talking after all this time.  
  
“Hi, baby,” the woman choked out while the tears started to run down her cheeks.  
  
After that, everything seemed to slowly fall into the right rhythm. Kazuya’s mother came closer first softly touching her son’s face to finally hug him as delicately as she could under all the emotions that were running through her body. The boy hugged her back with one hand tiredly, and let her cry on his shoulder. He himself, despite feeling weak and tired started crying silently only now realizing how much he had missed his family as a spirit.  
  
“Welcome back, son,” the man said barely containing his own tears but smiling gently at the boy.  
  
“Yeah, welcome back Kame,” his oldest brother said teasingly. Both of his older brothers moving closer to the bed with big overjoyed smiles.  
  
There was no anger or hate in their voices. Actually, Kazuya could only hear the love that they felt towards him. Those voices, their tone and sound, he felt like he wanted to hear them every day for the rest of his life. He hurt these people so much and yet they were there, happy he was awake.  
  
He would never disappoint them again.  
  
Never.

 

* * *

  
The guys stood in the hall of the hospital nervously waiting for Ueda to come back with the number of the room Kamenashi Kazuya was staying in. They wanted to see the boy but it didn’t change the fact they were afraid he might not remember any of them.  
  
Tatsuya came back to them with dissatisfied expression on his face and explained that since they weren’t a family, they couldn’t know where the boy was lying. Jin grimaced and was ready to go to the nurse himself – he would flirt or beg, if he had to, just to get that number. Thankfully for him though, Shirota suddenly came out of one of the corridors. Jin smiled widely and rushed along with the rest of the guys to meet the man.  
  
“Yuu! I’m so glad to see you!” Jin exclaimed happily, almost hugging the other. Almost.  
  
“Hi, Jin. Guys.” Shirota nodded to the men. ”I think I told you not to tell anyone yesterday.” Yuu raised an accusing eyebrow at his friend.  
  
“Sorry, man but it’s all good. The guy I ask you about is really a friend of mine.”  
  
“Is that so? I’ve never seen you visiting him,” Shirota said with suspicion.  
  
“Yeah… that’s kind of complicated actually. I will tell you some other time.”  
  
“You better.” The man snorted. “What do you want today, Jin? I don’t think you called out to me just to say ‘hi’.”  
  
“Huh? We’re friends, right? Why shouldn’t I just want to greet you and nothing else? Why would you think I have some other reason to call you?” Jin tried to play innocent – he wasn’t sure Yuu would help him if he sniffed something was going on.  
  
“Um… Maybe because your friends stare at me like some puppies that are waiting for a treat from their owner?” Shirota said making Ueda and Koki glare at him in displeasure.  
  
“Oh… Sorry, Yuu,” Jin apologized with a embarrassed smile. “It’s just that we _really_ need to see our friend but the freaking nurse at the desk doesn’t want to tell us what’s his room.”  
  
“And you expect _me_ to tell you that, huh?”  
  
“Yeah...” Jin smiled pleadingly but Yuu’s serious face told him the man wasn’t willing to help. “Please, Yuu. It’s important for all of us. We won’t make any problems for you or anything. I swear.” Jin tried to convince his friend.  
  
Shirota stared at Jin for about a minute before sighing. “Okay. You seem pretty serious about it. I can’t tell you the room number though.” Jin’s face fell. “ _But_ I think I won’t break any rule telling you that Kamenashi is at the back in the hospital garden. He walks around there a lot as a part of rehabilitation. Wants to get out of here as soon as possible,” Yuu informed with a shrug.  
  
“Thank you, Yuu. I owe you.”  
  
“Don’t mention it. Just don’t spill on me in front of my colleagues or I’m gonna get into trouble.” Shirota patted Jin’s arm before going to take care of the next patient.  
  
“Let’s go.”  
  
Once they found the way to the back garden, they started looking for Kazuya. They weren’t sure if the boy looked the same, as his spirit appearance, but they assumed he couldn’t change that much. The boy was around twenty years old, probably still quite skinny after being fed by IV drips for years and had a nose that looked like it had been broken at some point.  
  
It took them a while to finally localize the boy. To their surprise Kazuya was sitting on a bench in the most abandoned part of the garden – as a spirit the young man was very lonely so they thought he might want to be close to people but they were wrong, apparently. Kazuya didn’t seem bothered by the lack of humans around him. On the contrary he looked very peaceful and relaxed, listening to the singing birds with his eyes closed.  
  
They guys stared at him for a minute or two, examining the boy. He was skinny but not as much as normally a person would look like after such a long time in a coma. They could see that the past three weeks had a positive impact on him. His skin had a bit of tan after spending time outside of the hospital bed. He looked rather good – his hair shorter than he used to be as a spirit – and healthy enough to be discharged soon in their opinion.  
  
Jin gulped and nervously came closer to the boy followed by his equally anxious friends.  
  
“Hi,” Jin said and waited for the other’s reaction.  
  
Kazuya opened his eyes and looked to the side at the person who dared to disturb him. He was surprised seeing Akanishi Jin and his friends in front of him. Kazuya stared at them not exactly knowing what to do. During past few days he started to wonder if he just dreamed about those guys and they didn’t really exist but now… They were standing just three meters away from him.  
  
“Hi,” Kazuya answered in the end wondering what the guys may want from him – as a spirit he wasn’t the most welcome one.  
  
Jin cleared his throat not sure how to continue, “I… um… I’m Akanishi Jin and those are my friends. You see, we… uh… kind of know you and-“  
  
“I know who you are,” Kazuya interrupted calmly.  
  
“You do?” Jin asked in surprise. “That’s great! We wanted to visit you and see how you are doing.” Jin smiled just like the rest of the bunch who were happy with Kazuya recognizing them.  
  
“I’m good.” The answer was short and not as enthusiastic as they hoped. The situation seemed rather awkward for some reason.  
  
“Uh… that’s good then. We wanted to ask if… you would hang out with us, you know, after you’re discharged?” Jin asked still smiling but it faltered at Kazuya’s frowning face.  
  
Kazuya sighed. “Look. I do know who you are but I just remember your names and that we talked with each other, I don’t know about what though. For me you’re just a bunch of strangers that I met once, and that’s all,” Kazuya said with all seriousness and honesty making the guys look at him in startle.  
  
“Oh… Then how about we get to know each other better? We kind of missed you,” Jin admitted.  
  
“We would like to be friends with you,” Nakamaru added making the boy’s eyes shift to him.  
  
“…Sorry but… I’m not interested,” Kazuya said while looking to the ground.  
  
“Eh? Why? We could have so much fun!” Koki exclaimed surprised.  
  
“Yeah, why? We could make jokes together~,” Junno said already happy about the possibility of having someone who appreciates his sense of humor.  
  
“And sing. Your voice is great. It would be nice to be on stage with you.” Even Ueda tried to convince the younger.  
  
Kazuya rubbed his face tiredly. “Listen guys, I’m flattered that you like my spirit-self but I am different from it. I’m not the guy you’ve met. At least, not when it comes to character.” They looked at him, not understanding what he meant. “The spirit ‘me’ and the ‘me’ right now aren’t the same. I want peace and quiet. I want to just go back home and try to reconcile with my family. I lost _years_. I barely recognize my own brothers. The world changed too. I’m confused and stressed out enough without you expecting me to act as that spirit or remember about those times. So, please, just let me be and forget that you’ve ever met me,” Kazuya said and bowed to them before going away towards the hospital.  
  
The guys stood there in shock looking at Kazuya’s retreating back. They were stunned. They expected that the boy might be slightly unlike his spirit-self but he seemed like a completely different person. He was more polite, less cheerful and more uptight than they got used to. They couldn’t even properly react to his words – they were so taken aback by his attitude.  
  
The most stunned by what just had happened, was Jin. He hoped that once he found the boy, he would be able to befriend him. He didn’t expect it to be an easy task but hearing the boy speaking to him like to a total stranger disheartened Jin. It would be okay to start from something small like talking on the phone or writing emails but Kazuya didn’t want to have any contact with them whatsoever.  
  
The first one to go back to his senses was Ueda. He looked at his friends and sighed seeing their disappointed faces. Especially Jin’s, his face seemed extra sad so Tatsuya came up to the other man and put a hand on his shoulder for moral support.  
  
“Hey, you alright?”  
  
“…Yeah, just… I thought it’s going to be different…” Jin said with a sigh.  
  
“I know. We thought like that too,” Koki said his voice sounding rather sadly.  
  
“Don’t mind him, Jin. He needs to get used to everything. He’s been out of this world for the past five years. It had to be a big shock for him to suddenly become an adult. He’s probably very confused and very scared. People he once knew are different now. It’s like being born anew just more complicated. You remember things of the past but you see something else. It’s like meeting a friend we haven’t seen for many years – you need time to become close again,” Junno said it in a way everyone were stunned – no one expected him to be the one who understand the situation best.  
  
Jin stood stunned for a minute after which a big grin blossomed on his face. “You’re a genius, Taguchi!” Jin exclaimed and almost kissed the boy before dashing away leaving his surprised friends behind.  
  
When Junno’s words registered in Jin’s mind, the gear wheels inside his brain started to work. Suddenly he saw everything in a completely different light. The man was right. Kazuya was like a newborn that didn’t know the world and you had to take care of it and teach it all you know. Kazuya too needed someone to guide him and help him find his place in society.  
  
And Jin was going to be the one to help Kazuya just like he had helped him.

 

* * *

  
When Jin spotted the boy by the entrance, he sped up – he wanted to catch up to the boy before he disappeared inside the building. He grinned triumphantly when the boy stopped after hearing his name coming from Jin’s lips. He seemed confused and slightly weary seeing Jin running after him but didn’t continue walking and waited for the other.  
  
“I told you to leave me alone, didn’t I?” the young man said, wanting to get rid of the other but instead of sounding tough and harsh, his voice came out tired.  
  
“Yeah, you did but I have no intentions giving up,” Jin answered with a big smile startling the boy. “I know that you don’t trust me, or anyone in particular right now, but I want to help you. You probably don’t remember but you helped me once. I want to repay you for it.”  
  
“Listen, maybe I _did_ help you but I really don’t think-“  
  
“Wait. Before you reject my help, listen to me first, okay?” Kazuya hesitated but in the end nodded in agreement – there was something in that man’s smile that made him feel a bit more at ease. “I want to repay you, yes. But I also want to become your friend. You said you’re different from your spirit-self but that’s okay. Honestly saying… I didn’t know your other self that much. I was too annoyed with it to care about it. But when you… _he_ disappeared, I missed his presence. I know you’re not the same but would it really hurt any of us to try becoming friends? We could start from the scratch. Email, phone calls. Oh, we can go for a coffee or tea if you don’t like coffee, or-“  
  
“But I don’t know you. You’re a stranger to me. Can you stop-“  
  
Kazuya was interrupted again, ”I’m Akanishi Jin, 22 years old, having a boring office job but wanting to become a big music star in the future. I hate horrors and all kinds of scary stuff. I have a younger brother, that’s apparently your brother’s classmate by the way. I’m gay…”  
  
“Gay?” Kazuya asked while blinking stupidly – he was a bit overwhelmed by Jin’s sudden profile proclaim.  
  
“Yeah, at some point you knew about it, I think. Anyway, I like Italian food, America, music and hanging out with my friends. I’m single and don’t plan on changing that until I find someone I fall in love with. I would love to have a dog and-“  
  
“Okay, okay, I get it!” Kazuya sighed feeling himself getting even more exhausted than he was. “What do you want?”  
  
“I want to be friends with you,” Jin said softly to make the boy less hostile towards himself. “I want to help you adapt to this world again. You said you’re confused and all. Wouldn’t it be good if someone helped you clear things up? I’m a stranger you said but you are too to me, we can both learn about each other. As a plus you, don’t have to feel bad about asking things because I already know may not understand this or that. And, since we don’t know each other properly, I won’t expect of you things that others take for granted,” Jin explained the best he could and waited for Kazuya’s reaction. The boy was obviously a bit troubled by Jin’s words but the fact he was thinking them over, gave Jin some hope.  
  
Kazuya looked up at Jin and stared for a minute contemplating. “…Okay,” he said with small hesitation apparent in his voice. “How… how do we start?”  
  
Jin beamed at the boy. “We know each other’s names already so how about exchanging number and email addresses? We can start with talking over the phone or texting so you wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable as when facing each other,” Jin proposed and the boy nodded slowly and took out his phone. “Okay, I saved it. Would you mind if I called you tonight?”  
  
“Tonight?” Kazuya asked uncertainly.  
  
“Yeah… I thought that being at the hospital for so long might be boring and I’m bored too most of the time.” Jin smiled sheepishly.  
  
“Um… Sure, I don’t mind. It really is boring in here,” Kazuya gave a small smile back – that was the first smile the boy gave him since they met; Jin missed it.  
  
“No doubt about that. Then, hear you soon?” Jin asked with a lopsided grin making Kazuya chuckle a bit.  
  
“Yeah, hear you soon.”  
  
Jin said his goodbyes and almost skipped to his apartment. Maybe at first it didn’t go like he had imagined, but in the end he managed to convince the boy to give him a chance. He didn’t want to screw it up. Kazuya decided to trust him and he could see how much it took the boy to do so. Kazuya felt insecure and scared of the situation and Jin could understand him-. He felt similar when he realized he didn’t like women but men instead. It wasn’t the same but pretty much similar to that. He too was scared of how it’s going to be from then on and how people would react to him. Back then, he had gotten help from his friends and brother. And lately, from Kazuya’s spirit.  
  
Now it was Kazuya needing help, and Jin was going to be the one to bring the boy’s smile back.

 

*

  
Jin was anxious the whole afternoon. He was trying to occupy his mind with work and writings songs but he wasn’t really successful. At some point he even decided to clean his apartment and cook some decent dinner. He rarely did that as there was no point in cooking just for himself; and he just hated cleaning.  
  
His excitement rose with every hour. When he finally laid on his bed he immediately grab his phone and choose Kazuya’s contact. He waited impatiently for the call to connect while biting on his lower lip – it was a bit nerve wrecking. Four signals later a hoarse voice could be heard on the other side of the line.  
  
_”Hello?”_  
  
Jin smiled at Kazuya’s nervousness. “Hi, I’m not calling too late, right? The nurses won’t get angry at you, huh?” Jin asked playfully to try loosen up the atmosphere.  
  
_”No, I think they won’t mind.”_ The man chuckled lightly.  
  
“That’s good. Tell me… how should I call you? If we’re going to be friends it would be a bit bad to refer to you as Kamenashi and I don’t think you would be happy if I called you by your first name?” Jin just now realized he didn’t know how he should address the other – in his head he always called him ‘Kazuya’.  
  
_“Um… I think you can call me Kame. That’s the nickname my brothers use all the time and I’m kind of okay with it so…”_ he trailed off then cleared his throat. _And how I should call you?”_  
  
“Okay, Kame. And you can just call me Jin. It feels weird when people call me by my surname.”  
  
_“Okay… So… what so you want to talk about?”_ Kazuya asked uncertainly, completely not knowing how to behave even over the phone.  
  
“Dunno but maybe you have some questions? You said you don’t remember much of the time you spent as a spirit. Maybe you would like to know more about that time?” Jin proposed and for a minute, there was silence on the other side.  
  
_”Actually, um, I wondered how… how was the other me?”_  
  
Jin chuckled, “He was annoying, that’s for sure. He liked to scare the heck out of me because I hate horrors. There was no day without me being tricked into some frightening situation. I actually hated you until you suddenly disappeared. Then I started to miss you and realized you weren’t so bad.”  
  
_”Really? I was such a pain in the ass?”_ Kazuya asked with an embarrassed groan.  
  
“Yeah, you were but you had your good sides too. You helped me a lot at one point.”  
  
_“You mentioned about it before too. What’ve I done to help you exactly?”_ Kazuya was curious why the man wanted to be his friend so much.  
  
“You actually helped me reconcile with my father. We were fighting for months and every time we talked, we just started yelling at each other and that would be it. It was thanks to you that we managed to speak calmly for the first time, without wanting to rip our heads off. I really owe you big, Kame,” Jin said in an affectionate voice.  
  
_”Oh…”_ Kazuya thought a moment about his next question. _“Do you know maybe where I have been before… haunting you?”_  
  
Jin laughed, “You haunted Nakamaru Yuichi. He said that once he came back from hospital, his house became haunted. We made a small movie-party at his house. Apparently after you heard my screams, you thought I’m funny so you moved to my flat instead.”  
  
_“…Are your screams really that funny?”_ Kazuya asked half-curiously, half-disbelieving.  
  
Jin cleared his throat and blushed in embarrassment. “Probably, yes. I have a high voice so my friends tell me I scream like a girl.”  
  
_“… Is that so?”_ Jin could hear hints of hidden amusement in the other’s voice.  
  
“Yeah, just don’t think of scaring me to hear it,” Jin warned the younger boy.  
  
_“I didn’t think that,”_ Kazuya denied but he didn’t sound convincing to Jin’s ears.  
  
They talked for another thirty minutes getting to know each other more by choosing random topics. They talked about music and movies. Kazuya lost track of many things while being in a coma and he wanted to make up for the lost time. Jin promised to help him with it, and once Kazuya felt comfortable enough, he decided to show the boy all the movies he had missed.

 

* * *

  
It took Jin some time to convince the boy to meet in person. It turned out Kazuya wasn’t the social type. He avoided unnecessary contacts and if he had to meet someone, it had to be carefully planned. He wasn’t spontaneous and surely wasn’t a party-animal. At first, Jin thought the boy was too different from his spirit-self but then it occurred to him that as a ghost Kazuya also planned his every move and was displeased when he had to change them. Now that side of Kazuya was just more visible.  
  
Since the boy still felt a bit insecure about the world, Jin suggested they meet at Kazuya’s place – Kame would feel better in a known environment while Jin was excited to see the other’s house. Of course, he didn’t say that to Kazuya. The boy might freak out and think Jin was a stalker or had some utter motives.  
  
Kazuya lived at the outskirts of Tokyo with his family so Jin decided to take his motorcycle out of the garage and go on a ride. Halfway to Kazuya’s house, Jin stopped at the convenience store to buy some chocolate and wine to give to Kame's parents as a present. He put them inside his backpack next to the present he had bought for Kazuya a few days earlier. He wanted to surprise the boy with something that he would surely love. He figured that something related to baseball would be perfect. After all, Kazuya was a huge fan of the sport.  
  
Jin parked in front of the fine, spacious house – well, not so spacious considering six people lived in it but it looked amazing anyway. Jin smiled seeing Kazuya sitting on the porch waiting for him. The boy walked up to him slowly, nervously playing with the long sleeves of his gray sweater.  
  
“Hi,” Kazuya said with a small anxious smile.  
  
“Hi, nice house. I wish my apartment was at least half as big.” Jin chuckled.  
  
“Thanks but I think your apartment is of perfect size.”  
  
“You remember it?” Jin asked curiously.  
  
“Just a bit, yeah,” Kazuya admitted while nodding. “Is it yours?” Kame gestured towards the motorcycle – he was eyeing it from the moment Jin appeared in his sight.  
  
“Yup! That’s my little baby. I don’t have opportunity to ride her too often so I took the chance and here I am,” Jin answered by patting his favorite machine. “Are you interested in motorcycles?”  
  
“A little. I’ve always wanted to get the license but… you know. Maybe now I will have the chance. Would you… would you teach me how to ride? It’s been a while and I think I forgot what I already knew,” Kazuya said with a blush that slowly blossomed on his cheeks making Jin stare more at the boy – the blush surprisingly suited him; made him look cuter and less distanced.  
  
“Sure, no problem. Just tell me when and where. For today though I planned something else if you don’t mind,” Jin agreed with a smile.  
  
“What did you plan?” Kazuya asked half-curious, half-worried – he wasn’t used to other’s planning things for him; it made him nervous.  
  
Jin saw Kazuya tensed silhouette and quickly pulled his backpack open. “Here, it’s for you. You said your hands grew during the time in a coma and you need to buy a new one so I decided it would be a good ‘welcome back’ present.” Jin winked at the surprised boy who slowly took a decorative sack.  
  
“You didn’t have to. Thank you,” Kazuya smiled and his eyes started sparkling happily when he opened the sack and found a glove and a baseball ball inside.  
  
“Actually, I had to,” Jin said and took out another glove from his backpack. “I wanted to play catch ball with you today if that’s okay?” Jin smiled wider when he saw how Kazuya’s face brightened up – he didn’t play for ages.  
  
“Sure! Let’s go to the back yard? There’s more space and less windows, just in case.”  
  
Jin secured his motorcycle and followed the younger boy. He thought they would go through the house but Kazuya went towards a part of the fence where a small gate was located. It was barely visible from afar but when they moved closer, Jin could see a brown handle. Kame opened the gate and gestured for Jin to come through before closing it again.  
  
Jin was surprised once more with the size – this time, of the backyard. It was big enough to hold a party for at least fifty people. A few palatial trees nicely decorated the place and hid householders from the snoopy eyes of the neighbors. Jin thought that in summer it had to be nice to hide in the shadows of those trees.  
  
Kazuya went to one side of the yard while Jin stood on the other side, previously leaving his backpack on a bench placed nearby. Kame threw a ball into a glove a few times before he sent it to Jin. Jin caught it without much effort and threw it back at Kazuya.  
  
They played for a while and Jin had to admit. The boy was good. _Very_ good. With time Jin started to have problems with catching the ball and when he did, he could feel how much force Kazuya put in his throws. The boy was throwing almost like a professional player. Moreover, Kame didn’t seem to be at least a bit tired while Jin could feel sweat running down his face for the last twenty minutes already.  
  
“Can we take a break? I think I need to sit down,” Jin finally proposed seeing as Kazuya could probably go for another few hours while he himself could feel his arms aching.  
  
“Can’t keep up with me?” Kazuya asked playfully, obviously more relaxed than before and in a better mood.  
  
“Yeah. You’re really good, you know that? You should go to tryouts,” Jin said and sat on the bench, Kazuya following suit.  
  
“I would like that but I’m too small. I don’t mean my height though even if it’s a bit of a problem too,” Kazuya said with a shrug and Jin nodded in understanding.  
  
“Well, you should at least try one day. Who knows what might happen,” Jin said with an encouraging smile.  
  
“Maybe.” The boy looked at his watch. “We should go inside now. We need to drink something and you also need a towel. You sweat a lot.”  
  
They both stood up and went inside the house. At first sight, it looked empty but soon Jin heard some noises coming from the room he assumed must be the kitchen and some other rooms he couldn’t identify.  
  
When Jin was admiring the house, Kazuya came back with a fresh towel and showed Jin the way to the bathroom. Jin thanked him and wet the towel lightly to rub his face with it with a pleased sight. It was refreshing. When he was done, he put the towel in a laundry basket and went back to the living room where Kazuya was waiting for him.  
  
He frowned when he saw Kazuya wasn’t alone anymore. His parents and one of his brothers were present in the room. When Jin went in, they turned to look at him curiously. He bowed and greeted everyone politely before giving out the presents he had bought on the way. Kazuya’s parents seemed pleased with his gifts and asked a few standard questions; his age, what was his occupation, what he was to Kazuya and such. Jin was answering every question patiently but he could see with the corner of his eyes that Kazuya was uncomfortable with the current situation.  
  
“You’re such a nice boy. Kazuya, why didn’t you introduce him earlier to us?” the woman said in a gentle voice, playfully scolding her son. Kazuya though tensed at her words.  
  
“Actually, it’s the first time we’ve met outside of hospital,” Jin answered instead trying to save the boy some nerves.  
  
“Oh, is that so? Well, would you like to stay for dinner?”  
  
“I don’t want to impose on you, ma’am.” Jin scratched his neck in embarrassment; he didn’t expect such an invitation.  
  
“Nonsense! We’re happy to have Kazuya’s friend for dinner.” The woman wanted to say something more but stopped, giving her third son a quick glance.  
  
Jin had no other choice but to agree. During the dinner, Jin kept glancing at Kazuya. The whole family seemed to be talking like normal but Jin quickly realized they avoid certain topics in front of Kazuya. The boy too seemed to tense up every time something hospital or coma related was to come out. The family members were stiffening too.  
  
During those thirty minutes Jin noticed that Kazuya became quieter in front of his family. From their many conversations, Jin knew Kame was a talkative person and once he was interested in something, he could talk about it for hours if no one interrupted him. But at home, Kazuya seemed to shut himself. He answered the questions in monosyllables or, if he couldn’t use ‘yes’ or ‘no’, he tried to make his speech as short as possible.  
  
After dinner Jin decided it’s time to go home. Kazuya walked him to his motorcycle. It was a perfect moment to ask the boy about the tensed atmosphere at the house but Jin changed his mind seeing the boy fidgeting next to him. Kazuya obviously expected him to ask that question but he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Jin realized that and with smile promised that he would teach Kazuya how to ride the motorcycle soon. The boy looked a bit puzzled at first but soon relaxed, apparently happy Jin didn’t ask the uncomfortable question.  
  
Jin said goodbye and rode away promising himself to help Kazuya with his family matters when the boy’s going to be ready to tell him everything.

 

* * *

  
After their first friendly meeting, Jin and Kazuya started to hang out regularly. Jin was happy by it, being able to understand the boy better and see his many different sides. Kazuya could be serious and meticulous, but he could also be playful and teasing when relaxed enough. Seeing the boy’s smile, made Jin smile as well. And when Kazuya laughed, Jin laughed with him.  
  
Their time together was mostly good but Jin observed the boy closely in case he got nervous or stressed. Those times were rare but worried Jin nonetheless; they occurred every time Jin mentioned about family matters or when Kazuya was with his family. The boy was incredibly tense and stiff in front of his relatives even if they were those who he should trust the most at the moment.  
  
Jin wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, he wanted to let Kazuya be and wait until the boy opened up to him. On the other hand, he thought Kazuya might avoid the topic for a _very_ long time, so it would be better to encourage him to just spill the beans. Kazuya was stubborn, maybe even more than Jin at times, so it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do. Jin hoped though, that the boy would listen to him and confide in him.

 

* * *

  
One day Jin and Kazuya were taking a stroll in the local park. The weather was warm and nice, but the place was pretty empty. Only once in awhile someone would jog by them or an owner was taking his pet on a walk. Jin felt really relaxed and assuming by Kazuya’s good mood and soft smile, he was too. It was the perfect time to ask the boy some questions.  
  
“Hey, Kame?” Jin tried to get the boy’s attention.  
  
“Hm?” Kazuya looked at him murmuring lazily.  
  
“I was wondering… do you have… any problems with your family?” Jin asked as delicately as possible but it didn’t help much – Kazuya stiffened and his smile faltered.  
  
The boy looked at his feet. “I don’t want to talk about this.”  
  
Jin sighed knowing that pushing the boy might worsen the situation but it was necessary, “Kame, I’m sorry I asked something that makes you uncomfortable but I’m genuinely worried about you. I know it’s not easy, but if you tell me, you will feel better,” Jin pried gently.  
  
Kazuya bit on his lower lip. He seemed considering all the pros and cons. He sent a few short glances Jin's way as if calculating how much he could trust the other. Jin was patiently waiting for any type of confirmation or rejection of his offer and smiled inwardly when Kazuya gave him a small nod. Jin looked around and gestured for the boy to sit on the nearby bench with him.  
  
Kazuya took a deep breath. “Everything is… kind of complicated,” he started. “You see, before I went into a coma, I wasn’t the best human being. My parents had a lot of problems _with_ me and _because_ of me. I did things, I’m not proud of. In the past I used to think that everyone is against me; teachers, classmates, neighbors, my parents and brothers. I thought that they hated me for all the bad things I had done to them. I can’t forgive myself for it. Because of that I became a spirit. I thought that if I disappear, they will be happy and I won’t hurt them anymore.” Kazuya’s hands shook slightly from overflow of emotions. “When I came back to my body and saw them smiling and crying at the same time, I realized they care for me a lot more than I imagined. I’ve made many mistakes. The biggest one was wanting to die. I… I don’t want to hurt them anymore but I don’t know how to act around them now. I don’t know what they want from me. I’m afraid to disappoint them.”  
  
Jin listened carefully to the boy before speaking himself, “What is it that you can’t forgive yourself? Was it that bad?” Jin asked quietly.  
  
Kazuya snorted in displeasure, “It was. Stealing, starting fights, drinking alcohol, smoking, gambling; you name it. That day when I went into a coma, I had a huge fight with my parents. We yelled at each other, the situation started to get out of hands and I… I hit my mother. Dad threw me out of the house. After that I was so frustrated, so angry with myself, so embarrassed, so disappointed in myself… Before I knew it, I stole the money from a Yakuza bar. The guys chased me into an alley and beat me. That’s how I lost five years of my life,” Kazuya explained ashamed.  
  
“What you _really_ can’t forgive yourself for? What do you regret the most?”  
  
“I think… it would be when I hit my mom.” Kazuya rubbed his face tiredly. “I should have never done it. What kind of son hits his own mother? I’m a monster.” Kazuya hid his face in his palms while groaning in frustration.  
  
“You’re not a monster, Kame.”  
  
Kazuya snorted, “How can I not be? Have you even heard what I just told you?”  
  
“I have and that’s why I know you’re not a monster,” Jin said with conviction making the boy look at him with something akin to hope shining in his eyes. “Kame, a monster wouldn’t regret his actions. _You do._ You care about your family as much as your family cares for you. You always did but since you couldn’t get along with people around you, you couldn’t see it. You are _not_ bad, Kame. You are just lost and confused, and need someone to show you the right way,” Jin said looking at the boy tenderly.  
  
“Will you… will _you_ be that someone? The one that ‘shows me the right way’?” Kazuya asked suddenly feeling vulnerable.  
  
“I may try.” Jin smiled gently at the boy who smiled weakly in return.  
  
“What should I do then?” Kazuya asked quietly.  
  
“I will tell you something _you_ once told me,” Jin started making Kazuya look at him in surprise. “If you want to reconcile with your family, you need to talk and you need to listen. You have to show your feelings to them and let them show you theirs. Only then, after a long, calm talk, you will be able to understand each other. I know it takes a lot of courage to do so but that’s the only way.”  
  
“But what if-“  
  
“There’s no ‘if’, Kame. They are your parents and you are their son. You love each other and because of that, you’re going to be alright. I’m sure of it.” Jin put a reassuring hand on Kazuya’s shoulder.  
  
The boy sighed exhausted but nodded to show Jin he understood. He was worried, very worried it would all go wrong but the warmness from Jin’s hand that was seeking through his skin was calming him down. He wasn’t sure if it was going to work but the conviction with which Jin said those words to him made Kazuya willing to take the risk. If it was going to help them become a real family again, it was worth it.

 

* * *

  
Kazuya peeked into the living room then hid again behind the wall. His parents were sitting on the couch just like every day around nine o’clock. A few times during the day, he encouraged himself to talk to his parents but every time he chickened out in the last second. He knew he couldn’t delay it forever, but he was afraid of his parents’ possible reaction. That talk would rub salt in the already forgotten wounds. He didn’t want to upset his parents but with the way they all behaved around each other, he had to.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Kazuya bravely went into the living room and stopped in front of his parents. They looked up at him in surprise. Kazuya muscles tensed and his mind screamed for him to run. He battled with it for a minute but his heart won – he needed to make things better at any cost.  
  
“Mom, dad, can we talk?” he asked timidly.  
  
“Sure, Kazuya. What is it?” his father answered with a frown.  
  
Kazuya nervously sat down in front of his parents. “I… we… it’s just…” Kazuya stuttered, having troubles with finding the right words.  
  
The mother, seeing her son’s struggle, gently squeezed his hand in encouragement. “You know you can tell us everything. What’s bothering you, honey?”  
  
Kazuya looked his mother deeply in the eyes trying to calm himself with her soft gaze. “It’s… about what happened before the accident,” Kazuya said quietly. “I… I hit you… I hit you and I’m very sorry about it. I wasn’t thinking. I was a stupid brat that thought the entire world revolves around me. I… didn’t want to hit you. Never.”  
  
His mother sighed, “I know, dear. I’ve forgiven you about a long time ago. It’s okay now.”  
  
“It’s not okay, mom!” Kazuya raised his voice in desperation – his eyes shining with unshed tears. “I should’ve never done it. After that, I thought you wanted me gone. And I would gladly do it!” Kazuya’s words confused and scared his parents at the same time.  
  
“What do you mean by that, Kazuya?” His father asked.  
  
Kazuya lowered his head. “I wanted to be dead,” he confessed quietly shocking his parents. “I thought that if I die, I won’t hurt you ever again. I was disgusted with myself, ashamed. I couldn’t… I _still_ can’t forgive myself.”  
  
“Kazuya…” the woman whispered her son’s name, overwhelmed by emotions.  
  
“When I was in a coma I… my soul… was detached from my body. I was like a ghost, waiting to either die or live but… I only wanted to die. I thought that’s the best for you., that you will be freed from me and my idiocy. Shortly before I woke up, I met someone who was friends with a nurse at the hospital I was staying in. Thanks to that person, I learned that you visited me in the hospital frequently. Then I realized that… you missed me. I realized how much I have been hurting you by not waking up. I can’t forgive myself for the fact that I keep hurting you over and over again! I don’t want to. I really don’t. I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry…“ Kazuya said in a choked voice, his parents staring at him with mixed emotions.  
  
His mother moved closer and gently brushed away a few bangs away from his forehead. “Sweetheart… We’ve both forgiven you for everything the moment you woke up. Yeah, you did hurt us, but we love you. We were so happy when you opened your eyes. And the fact that you wanted to… die,” she barely managed to say the scary word, “you came back to us in the end. You chose to live and that’s the best present we’ve ever received.”  
  
“You know you did wrong and that’s enough for us. You’re our son. We love you very much. Never forget that, Kazuya,” his father finally spoke up gazing at his son with affection.  
  
“We’re here for you, sweetie. Don’t hide things from us because we will always help you when you need it.”  
  
“But what if I disappoint you again? I don’t want that…”  
  
“You won’t, Kazuya. You did a lot of bad things, but you learned from them. You won’t make those mistakes again. We’re sure of it, son,” the father tried to reassure the scared boy.  
  
“Yes, Kazuya. You won’t disappoint us because as long as you are happy, we will be happy too. We believe in you and we are proud to have a son like you.”  
  
“What’s there to be proud of?” Kazuya asked painfully.  
  
“We’re proud that our son thinks of us so dearly that he decided to come back to us even when he knew that he will have to keep living with memories of all of his mistakes, with regret, embarrassment and pain. You came back to us knowing that you lost five years of your life. And for that, we are very thankful. We love you, honey and that will never change,” his mother finished with a smile but she was crying at the same time.  
  
“I love you too,” Kazuya answered and the woman enveloped him in a strong hug while his father stroked his hair.  
  
Kazuya didn’t want to cry but he couldn’t help those few tears that escaped from under his eyelashes and rolled down his cheek. He knew he couldn’t forgive himself just yet but it was a good start. He knew they loved him as much as he loved them, if not more. Now, he just needed to redeem himself by not hurting them again. He knew he might not always be successful but he was going to make sure he failed as rarely as it was possible. His parents trusted him despite all he had done and he wasn’t going to waste his chances. He wanted to be the son they could _really_ be proud of.

 

* * *

  
Jin came out of his bathroom. While rubbing his wet hair with a towel he reached for his cell phone. He smiled seeing that he got new message from Kazuya. He threw the towel aside and lied on his bed and quickly opened the message. He scanned the text and with a smile dialed the boy’s number.  
  
“Told you it’s going to be okay.”  
  
_”No ‘good evening’?”_ Kazuya answered after one signal. _“Yeah… thank you. Your advice really helped.”_  
  
“It was your advice, to be honest. I just reminded you about it.” Jin smiled gently at the memory.  
  
_”Details. If not for you… I don’t know. I think, I would just do something stupid again, like moving out or something, at some point.”_  
  
“Good then that you have me.”  
  
Kazuya chuckled, _”Yes, good that you were a stubborn pain in the ass when I refused to be your friend at first.”_  
  
Jin gasped, “You’re hurting me~ I wish you could remember how much of the pain _you_ were as a spirit.”  
  
_”I bet I was.”_ Kazuya answered with a laugh. _“Even when I was a toddler, my parents had to keep an eye on me all the time or else they would find me wrapped in a toilet paper or covered in flour.”_  
  
Jin laughed, “That had to be hilarious. The only thing I had done that I know about is trying to sell my little brother to our neighbors.” Jin smiled widely at the sound of Kazuya’s hoarse laugh. “Speaking of your parents… You should spend this evening with them, you know? Instead you’re talking to me.”  
  
_”It was you that called, remember?”_ Kazuya asked teasingly. _“And my parents are watching some old movie. I prefer staring at my beautiful white ceiling,”_ Kazuya answered in serious tone.  
  
“Eh??? Really???” Jin blinked owlishly a few times.  
  
_“Yup! It’s very pretty. White and smooth. I wish I was tall enough to touch it. I bet it’s as soft as silk. Jin, why am I so short~?”_ the boy whined and only then Jin understood he was joking.  
  
He could play the game too. “You need to drink more milk then you will grow taller.”  
  
_”But I don’t like milk~ It smells weird, like a cow~”_ Kazuya cringed at the thought. _Can’t they make a squid milk? I love squid. Squid milk would taste so~ good.”_  
  
If Jin didn’t know it’s just a teasing game, his jaw would meet the floor at this very moment. “OH MY GOD! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU???!!!”  
  
_”Everything,”_ Kazuya answered with all seriousness before adding. _“Except for the way I dress.”_ He burst into a loud laugh.  
  
Jin chuckled, feeling happy that Kazuya finally opened to him enough to be playful with him. “I think you need some rest. I don’t need to be there to know you’re exhausted after THE talk. If you’re that crazy now I don’t think it’s wise for you to stay up any longer.”  
  
_“But I have fun~ Can’t you talk to me some more?”_ Kazuya fused.  
  
“Nope. You need to go to bed.” Even without seeing the boy, Jin knew he was pouting. “I can wait until you fall asleep, what do you say?”  
  
_”…Fine~”_ Kazuya finally answered. “But you’re going to buy me squid next time we meet.”  
  
Jin chuckled, “Okay, and now hop under your duvet.”  
  
_”Goodnight, Jin.”_ Kazuya yawned tiredly.  
  
“Goodnight, Kame. Sweet dreams.”  
  
Jin waited until he couldn’t hear anything other than a sound of even breaths escaping Kazuya’s mouth. He ended the call and put his phone back on the night table. It was the first time he heard Kazuya so genuinely happy and unrestricted. He sounded so free; like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders and he could breathe again.  
  
Jin was lying on his bed thinking about the boy that made him see the world in different colors. Kazuya, the _real_ Kazuya, was a person full of kindness and love. He always wanted what’s best for the people he cared about, even if it didn’t exactly worked out the right way. He was funny, in his own way, smart, a bit dorky at times. He was also a baseball freak but Jin found it kind of endearing. Every time the boy talked about his favorite sport, his eyes shined like those of a small kid that got a candy.  
  
Jin sighed with a small smile playing on his lips. He wished that one day Kazuya would treasure him like his own family. Jin wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to be close to Kazuya. To cheer him up when he’s down, to calm him down when he’s angry, to be the shoulder he can cry on, to be the cause of all the boy’s smiles and laughter. Jin… wanted to be _with_ Kazuya. He didn’t want to be a friend anymore. He wanted to be more. He wanted to _have_ more.  
  
_He wanted Kazuya’s love._  
  
When Jin realized where his thoughts brought him to, it was too late to deny them. Jin fell in love with his friend. _He_ was in love with _Kazuya_.  
  
Jin wasn’t sure when it really happened but he suspected that even in the time Kazuya was still a spirit, he felt a sort of connection to the other. Back then it wasn’t love but it was the beginning. Now the feelings grew and escalated and there was no turning back. The question was: what to do from now on? Jin thought long about it but he found only one solution that would make it or break it.  
  
He had to confess and pray his heart wouldn’t get broken…

 

* * *

  
A few days later, Jin asked Kame to meet him at the park. Jin was sitting on the bench when Kazuya arrived. The boy was smiling slightly. Somehow, the boy looked healthier than a few days ago. His skin wasn’t as grey as it used to be, his shoulders were relaxed and eyes were sparkling nicely. It was very obvious to Jin that Kame’s relationship with his family improved quite a lot.  
  
Jin smiled at Kame a bit nervously and stood up mentioning for the boy to walk with him. Kazuya joined Jin and immediately started talking. Jin was listening to the boy while staring at the other quite intensively, but Kazuya didn’t notice though – he was very engrossed in his story. With every new word that escaped Kazuya’s lips, Jin fell for the boy more and more. The way Kame’s eyes shined, the way he smiled, the way he moved his hands, the way he pouted, the way he laughed, the way he walked – all of it made Jin’s heart beat faster. Jin couldn’t help it, but he didn’t want to, anyway. He was waiting for that right person to enter his life and he finally found him.  
  
Kazuya turned his head to look at Jin. He stopped talking and looked at the other with confusion written on his face when he saw Jin staring at him. It wouldn’t be anything unusual if not for Jin’s expression; the man was smiling gently and his eyes seemed somewhat intense yet soft. It surprised Kazuya slightly since he had never seen such an expression on Jin’s face before . It made him a bit uncomfortable and tense but he didn’t know why.  
  
“Um… Everything’s alright? Do I have something on my face?” Kazuya finally asked coming to a halt.  
  
“Everything’s fine and, no, you don’t have anything on your face,” Jin answered with the same gentle smile.  
  
Kazuya furrowed his eyebrows. “Then why are you staring at me?”  
  
“There’s something I want to tell you,” Jin changed the subject.  
  
“…Okay?” Kazuya was a bit taken aback. “What is it?”  
  
Jin took a deep but nervous breath, “Do you remember when I said I am waiting for the right guy?” Kazuya only nodded not really knowing where this conversation was going. “Then I found him. The one for me,” Jin declared.  
  
“Oh… But why… are you telling me this?” Kazuya asked uncertainly.  
  
“Because…” Jin halted to prepare himself for the boy’s reaction. “Because that person… is you,” Jin said seriously, staring straight into Kazuya’s eyes.  
  
The boy stiffened. He didn’t expect something like that - a confession from a guy. A friend. _Jin_. He didn’t know what to do or say. His mind was completely blank. Finally he uttered, “Are you… serious? It’s not… a joke, right?”  
  
“It is not. I fell in love with you. I don’t know when or why it happened but…I am sure of my feelings,” Jin said softly but strongly. “When you’re happy, I am too. When you’re sad, I’m sad too. When you’re down or feel like crying, I want to be next to you to cheer you up. I’m jealous of people that can be with you every day and see all of your different sides. I didn’t expect to fall for you – you probably didn’t too – but I did. Kamenashi Kazuya, I love you!” Jin finished and waited for the boy’s reaction, ready for Kame’s move.  
  
Kazuya’s eyes widened and mouth hang open. He stood in front of Jin stiffly, completely speechless. He couldn’t understand what was going on. When Jin’s words registered in his mind, Kazuya felt… scared. He wasn’t homophobic but… something made him afraid. His thoughts were a mess. _Why him? How did that happened? What should he say? Can they still be considered friends? Does he feel the same? If he does, is it really okay? What would his family say? Was he ready for a relationship?..._ Kazuya’s head was full of questions. His heart was beating widely but he didn’t know what the reason of such intense reaction was.  
  
He… couldn’t think.  
  
He… had to get away.  
  
He… had to run.  
  
Before Kazuya could even understand his own actions, his body moved on its own. He turned around, ready to run as far away as his stamina would let him. But the moment he made the first step, a hand grabbed his own, stopping him. Kazuya looked behind himself with a lost expression but seeing Jin’s gentle eyes, he calmed down slightly, enough to listen to the other.  
  
“I’m not going to push you into anything. I know you need time – a lot of it but, please, think about it. I love you and I want to be with you. I’m not going to follow you around and try to convince you. Instead, I will wait for you. I’m going to give you some space to think about it, about _us_. If you decide you want to give us a chance, come find me,” Jin said and squeezed gently Kazuya’s hand before letting go.  
  
Jin smiled one last time and turned around to walk away, leaving Kazuya standing in the middle of the park’s path. Kazuya watched him go until the man disappeared from his sight, the same moment Kazuya’s legs gave out on him and he squatted down to not collapse completely. He hid his face in his arms and breathed deeply trying to calm himself down . He was overwhelmed by the whole situation; confused, shocked and shaken.  
  
Kazuya didn’t know how he reached his house in that state, but the moment he entered his room, he fell on his bed and curled into a ball. Before he even fully comprehended where he was, his tired body and mind fell asleep.

 

* * *

  
Kazuya stirred from his sleep and sat up. He sighed tiredly and slouchingly went to the bathroom. For the last couple of days, the boy couldn’t sleep peacefully. He became apathetic and heavy-hearted. When he was asleep, he dreamed about Jin. When he was awake, all his thoughts circulated around Jin as well. He didn’t have a moment of peace since the day the man confessed to him.  
  
Kazuya looked at his face in the mirror, he looked bad, almost as bad as when he was anxious even being in the same house with his relatives. The confession was very sudden and shocking for Kazuya. Not long ago he had woken up from the coma and slowly started to get in terms with his situation and now… Kazuya thought he gained a friend. Probably the first true friend in his life.  
  
He wasn’t ready for it. He wasn’t ready for letting someone get even closer to him than his own family. The thought paralyzed him, but at the same time he had to admit it – he missed Jin. He missed him more than he probably should. In a short time, the man became a part of his life. He supported Kazuya and bore with his insecurities. He was listening attentively to everything Kazuya sputtered even if sometimes it didn’t have any sense. Jin was patient and understanding when Kazuya knew he was short-tempered in other situations. The man was his savior in more than one way.  
  
Kazuya had never said that to Jin, but the more they hang out the more he remembered from the time he spent as a spirit. There were still some blanks but the most important, last talk with Jin, came back to him and got stuck deeply in Kazuya mind. It was thanks to that last talk that he decided to go back to his family. He was very grateful for everything Jin had done for him, his friendship was very precious for Kazuya.  
  
When something was precious to you, you’d want it to stay that way. Kazuya too, wanted for his and Jin’s bond to not disappear. He was afraid that once their relationship changes, he would lose Jin one way or another. He didn’t want that. He hated the thought that Jin may leave him one day. He found himself between a rock and a hard place, on one side he wanted their friendship to last but he couldn’t know if Jin would still be his friend after he rejected him, on the other side he was afraid that once they become something more than friends, something would change, and in the end he would lose Jin anyway. He was up the creek without a paddle.  
  
Kazuya felt like a mess. He was gloomily walking around the house; couldn’t find himself a place where he would feel at peace. With a heavy sigh, Kazuya decided that taking a walk wouldn’t hurt and maybe a bit of fresh air would calm his nerves. He put on his jacket and exited the house. Without really thinking where to go, he let his legs just lead him wherever. Before long Kazuya found himself in the middle of the park, exactly in the place Jin had confessed to him. Kazuya groaned; even his own body was betraying him.  
  
Not seeing any purpose in strolling around, Kazuya sat on the bench. He tilted his head back and observed how leaves blew in the breeze. It was like a slow, delicate and gentle dance. It was surprisingly relaxing and even though Kazuya didn’t forget about Jin, he seemed to feel better. He could finally concentrate on the main issue and put aside all the other questions that accumulated in his mind and didn’t let him sleep at night.  
  
Suddenly Kazuya heard someone calling his name. He moved his head around, wondering who it might be. Since the time he had gotten discharged from the hospital, he didn’t have any contact with people other than his family and Jin. He also doubted anyone from five years back would remember him or recognize him. He was actually surprised when he spotted one of Jin’s friends waving and then walking up to him with a smile.  
  
“Kamenashi-kun! Nice to see you!” the man greeted him brightly making Kazuya a bit uncomfortable.  
  
“Um… hi. You’re… Tanaka Koki-san, right?” he asked uncertainly.  
  
“Just Koki is fine. How are you, Kame-chan? You look pale. Are you okay?” the man asked in concern. Despite his wild look, he was surprisingly gentle and had his heart in the right place.  
  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just…” Kazuya looked away.  
  
“It’s about Jin, isn’t it?”  
  
“He told you?” Kazuya’s head snapped towards the other.  
  
“Yeah… he did. Sorry,” Koki said sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
“No, that’s… that’s okay,” Kazuya answered and once again started avoiding the other’s eyes.  
  
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Koki asked and sat next to the boy.  
  
“I don’t want to waste your time-”  
  
“You’re wasting it by saying you don’t want to waste it,” the man said with a smirk. “I have time, I can listen.”  
  
Kazuya sighed feeling that the man wouldn’t give up until he tells him everything, “I’ve been thinking about Jin since the moment he confessed to me. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose his friendship and I don’t think I can return his feelings. I’m honestly lost. I miss him but I’m afraid to meet him. I don’t know whether I like him more than a friend or not, and if I do, am I even ready for it? I’ve been fifteen the last time I remember and now I’m suddenly twenty years old and an adult, and my first real friend fell in love with me. Why does everything need to be so complicated all of a sudden?” Kazuya complained and rubbed his faces tiredly.  
  
“I’m sorry that you have such a dilemma just after coming back to the real world,” Koki honestly pitied the boy – he was getting even more lost than he was at the beginning. “I can’t tell you what to feel or if you’re ready or not. Only you can answer those questions but… maybe you should stop thinking with your brain and listen to your heart instead? Even if you _think_ you are not ready, your heart may be ready to love someone on a higher level.”  
  
“I don’t know if it’s possible. I can’t even sleep peacefully without dreaming about Jin,” Kazuya pouted.  
  
Koki chuckled, “I would say dreaming about our Bakanishi is a good sign. Just try to see within your heart. It knows the answer to most of your questions, I bet.” Koki patted Kazuya shoulder reassuringly and stood up.  
  
“I will try,” Kazuya answered uncertainly.  
  
“Good.” Koki turned around ready to walk away when he remembered something, “Oh, Kame-chan?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“There’s a small performance at the studio a few days from now. Jin’s going to perform his solo song. If you’re not busy, I think you should come,” Koki invited the boy with a smile. “Hope to see you soon, Kame-chan.”  
  
Kazuya watched the other man walk away, his words buzzing in his head. Maybe he was right? Maybe Kazuya really thought too much with his head instead of just listening to his heart’s wishes? But then, what was his heart saying? Did it just want Jin’s friendship or along the way it became fond of the older man? Kazuya wasn’t sure about the answer.  
  
While walking back home, Kazuya decided that the best way to understand his own feelings was to try getting to know Jin better. When he was still a spirit, Kazuya used to come to the music studio Jin loved so much but as a living human, Kame didn’t go there, not even once. He didn’t remember those times as a spirit either.  
  
With a sigh, he decided that he needed to see Jin’s performance at the studio. He wanted to, but he hoped Jin wouldn’t see him there. Until he sorted his own feelings, he had to keep away from the man. It was the only way not to accidentally hurt Jin’s feelings and maybe even his own.

 

* * *

  
Kazuya walked into the studio and looked around the place. The hall was rather big for a small music studio – it could accommodate about three hundred people. The lighting was a bit dim but gave a cozy feeling to the whole place. The stage wasn’t the biggest but Kazuya assumed it wasn’t necessary as the biggest bands that played on it had six or seven people at maximum.  
  
Kazuya was going to his seat while looking around himself, hoping to catch the sight of Jin. He didn’t want to bump into the man but he wanted to see his face before the concert started. He had missed him and Kame craved to talk to the other but he didn’t have an answer for Jin. Without it, he might only hurt them both unintentionally.  
  
Kazuya sat down. A few minutes later, the show started. He recognized a few artists. There was a guy that tried to exorcism him and the one who assisted him. After them there were some unknown men and women who sang some overly cute songs. Kazuya wondered if their aimed audience were kindergarten kids. After them, the performances had Koki and the rest of the guys that had visited him at the hospital along with Jin. Kazuya liked their solo songs. It amazed him how they were so different and yet the guys could be so in sync while singing together.  
  
Finally came the time for Jin’s performance. Kazuya stiffened, hoping the man wouldn’t see him from the stage but soon relaxed seeing Jin. The man was completely focused on what he was about to do. He bowed to the audience and sat on a stool. He adjusted the microphone and checked his guitar. The moment the first sounds escaped the instrument, Jin went into his own world and nothing else mattered – there was only him and his guitar.  
  
Kazuya held his breath. The melody wasn’t fast or overly slow, just… perfect. And when Jin opened his mouth to sing, Kazuya was sure he was hearing an angel and not the man that confessed his love to him just a couple of weeks ago. Jin voice was a bit high but smooth and gentle. It was probably as soft as silk and created a perfect harmony with the melody.  
  
And the lyrics.  
  
Kazuya was amazed at how beautiful the lyrics were. They talked about love that would never end. Love that would never disappear from the singer’s heart no matter how many years would pass. It talked about hardships of loving someone but also of the positive sides of being in love. Of the time spend together and apart. Of feelings that slowly grew and evolved like a caterpillar evolving into a butterfly.  
  
Kazuya was mesmerized. It wasn’t just the song or the atmosphere – it was Jin himself. Completely engrossed in the song, living it at the very moment. Kazuya could see every emotion the man felt at the moment. The melancholy, the sadness, the happiness and the love. Especially those last two emotions seemed to hit him the most. He knew this song was written with the thought of him in mind. Jin wrote it to voice out his feelings for Kazuya in the best way he could.  
  
Kazuya stared at the man on the stage. His heart was beating loudly in his chest and he felt overwhelmed with happiness so strong he was ready to cry. He had never felt anything like that before. For the first time in his life, there was no negative energy in him. He stared at Jin and all he could do was to keep smiling. All the anxiousness, all the worries and insecurities disappeared. Suddenly everything became clear to him.  
  
He fell in love with Jin.  
  
Just like Jin, he didn’t know why or when it happened but… it did. Kazuya was listening to his heart and it was telling him that Jin was the one for him. Jin’s a friend but also someone much, _much_ more. He was there when Kazuya needed support. He was persistent, stubborn and annoying at times but Kame didn’t mind that anymore because those traits were those that slowly, day by day, made Kazuya fell in love with Jin.  
  
Jin’s soft smiles, his loud laughter, high-pitched screams, gentle eyes. They were directed at Kazuya this whole time and made him feel safe and secure. It felt like home. Kazuya didn’t even realize that Jin grew on him so much. Just a few months ago, Kame considered Jin as a stranger but now he became someone as important as his family. He became a part of Kazuya when he sneakily took over a part of Kazuya’s heart, without its owner knowing about it. Jin stole Kazuya’s heart just like Kazuya unconsciously stole Jin’s.  
  
The moment the song came to the end, booming applause erupted from the audience. Jin bowed and walked behind the stage. The concert came to the end and everyone slowly started to exit the hall. Kazuya too, stood up and went towards the exit. He felt so much lighter than when he first entered the hall. With his worries finally gone, the world seemed brighter and livelier. It was like getting rid of all the things that lumbered his mind and soul. Finally, everything seemed so easy and simple.  
  
Finally, Kazuya knew what to do.

 

* * *

  
Jin heard a doorbell. It was already 9 in the evening and he didn’t expect any guests. It was rare to have someone visiting him at this hour. With a surprised expression written on his face, he went to open the door. His eyes widened even more at the sight of Kazuya standing nervously in front of his apartment. The younger man smiled slightly and Jin let him in.  
  
Kazuya walked inside and took off his shoes. Then, he looked around the apartment trying to find memories of his time spent there while being a spirit. He was a bit sad not having any reminiscences of the place. If he did remember something, he might have felt a bit more at ease. At the moment, he was a nervous wreck and being more familiar with the place would come in handy.  
  
When Jin gestured for Kazuya to walk further inside, the boy nervously moved to the living room. While Jin went to the kitchen to get them something to drink, Kazuya tried to decide where to sit. Finally his eyes rested on an old, big chair covered with a blanket with fringes. He felt himself being drawn to the piece of furniture and not wasting time, moved towards it. After sitting down, Kazuya calmed down. The chair was surprisingly comfortable even if Kame’s whole body practically sank in it. He wouldn’t mind having a chair just like this one at home.  
  
Jin came back from the kitchen with two cups of tea. He placed one in front of his guest and sat himself on the couch. Only then he realized that Kazuya choose THE chair to sit on. He smiled at the memories of the spirit Kame sitting in the same chair a few months ago. The spirit claimed it as his and refused to change places wherever Jin wanted to use it. He also got jealous of any person that tried sitting on it. He even played pranks on them to make sure they would stay away from his precious chair.  
  
Now, the living Kazuya sat in that chair and he seemed rather cozy in it. His posture relaxed visibly and he started playing with blanket’s fringes unconsciously. Jin was fascinated by those fingers once again. Just like the spirit’s, human Kazuya’s hands were weirdly stubby, they didn’t lose their charm in Jin’s eyes and he still wanted to grab them in his own hand. He wanted to feel Kazuya’s skin on his own and be able to play with those seemingly plump fingers. He knew now that it was because he was in love with Kazuya but only now he understood that first stronger feeling for the boy appeared when he had seen him for the first time.  
  
Jin chuckled at the thought making Kazuya look at him with a slight startle.  
  
“Um… Something’s funny?” Kazuya asked uncertainly.  
  
“I just remembered a few things,” Jin answered vaguely but he kept smiling at the younger.  
  
“Oh, is that so?” Kazuya nervously fidgeted, his hand still playing with fringes of the blanket.  
  
“Yup. For example, I remembered the time when you said this chair belongs to you. From that moment on, you wouldn’t let anyone sit on it. My brother was an exception but only because you didn’t have time to scare him away. You were pretty angry though – you glared at him for quite some time.”  
  
Kazuya blushed and sank even more in the chair if that was possible. “Sorry… But it’s really cozy. I would love to have it at home,” Kame explained smiling in embarrassment making Jin chuckle again. “Um… I came to see the concert today.”  
  
“Really? Did you like it?” Jin asked in curiosity but he was a bit worried what answer he might hear from the boy.  
  
“Yes, I enjoyed it a lot, actually. You all were great. Your friends have really amazing voices but I was surprised how different their solo performances were in comparison to the five of you singing together. It was like seeing a totally different worlds.”  
  
“Hm~ that’s true. We all have different styles and characters. We actually fight a lot when it comes to arrangements or costumes, for example, but once we start singing, we are gone. We may be totally different but our passion for music is the same.” Jin said with affection to laugh after his next words. “That’s probably the only thing we have in common thought.”  
  
Kazuya chuckled. “You’re like five Chinese elements. You’re apart but once together you make something special.”  
  
“Yes, that’s probably it. Though I would say it would be nice to add one more element to our group.” Jin said eyeing Kazuya.  
  
“Eh? Really? Who?”  
  
“You, of course. You love singing and you sounded great on one of our rehearsals. Even Ueda admitted he would like you to join us.”  
  
Kazuya bit on his lower lip. “Is… it an invitation?”  
  
“Yes, it is.” Jin asked with a small smile hoping the boy would say yes.  
  
Kazuya hesitated. “I… I will think of it. It sounds great – don’t get me wrong – but… I probably should spend more time with my family first. It’s better now but we lost years. I need time to reconnect with my brothers properly.”  
  
“I understand, don’t worry about it. Just remember there’s a place waiting for you.” Jin winked at the boy.  
  
Kazuya smiled nervously before looking down at his fidgeting fingers. It was the time to say the reason of his visit but he didn’t know how to start. He came here spontaneously, without having prepared a speech. He was glad that without practicing he managed to have a normal conversation with Jin – one without stuttering or babbling incoherently – but when it finally came to the point he was about to tell his feeling to Jin, he felt like running away.  
  
“Is something wrong?” Jin asked the boy worriedly and Kazuya looked up at him. Seeing Jin’s serious concern for him, Kazuya gulped and stood up to sit next to Jin on the couch. The boy took a few deep breathes and turned himself towards the older man. Jin was surprised with Kazuya’s actions and couldn’t understand why the boy was acting like that. He seemed really serious but incredibly nervous at the same time.  
  
“No… nothing’s wrong but… I… I have something to tell you…” Kazuya’s voice almost came to a whisper at the end, showing how unsure the boy really was.  
  
“What is it?” Jin asked gently but his eyebrows furrowed in concern.  
  
“It’s just… I thought about… about what you told me at the park the other day.” Kazuya explained with his eyes casted down.  
  
“Oh…” Jin’s body tensed – he was afraid the moment to get rejected finally came. He hoped it would come later, but…  
  
“Yeah… I thought… and thought… I even dreamed about it but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what I feel. I was scared.”  
  
“Of what?” Jin bit on his tongue – the question escaped before he realized it.  
  
“Of what my family would think. Whether I am ready for a relationship or not. Of a future. Of hurting you. Of hurting me. I was scared of many things and I still am, Jin.” Finally Kazuya looked at him and Jin gulped. “A few days ago I met Koki at the park.”  
  
“Koki?”  
  
Kazuya nodded. “He invited me to your concert. I… I thought that maybe it will help me sort out my feelings…” Kazuya stopped for a moment, once more trying to calm his nerves.  
  
“And?” Jin softly prodded.  
  
“And it did. It helped. Your solo performance was amazing, Jin. I loved it a lot and… it helped me understand things that I couldn’t figure out.” Kazuya faced Jin. “I like you, Jin. A lot. It’s probably love but… I’ve never… loved anyone in… that way.” He stuttered.  
  
“Really? You… love me?” Jin asked with widened but hopeful eyes.  
  
“I think I do but… I am scared, Jin. It’s new for me. Everything is. I don’t know what to do, how to behave. I was fifteen the last time I checked and even if I am an adult now, it’s only formally. I have no idea about the world of adults. I’m still a brat so dating me would be like dating a teenager. I don’t want to trouble you,” Kazuya said and hang his head.  
  
Jin put his fingers under the boy’s jaw and gently lifted his head so Kazuya would look at him once again. “You would never be a trouble to me. I told you, right? I love you. I know you still have a lot to learn but I want to be next to you when you do that. I want to be there and teach you about everything you want to know. If you think I’m going to change my mind just because you were in a coma for five years, you can forget it. I’m very stubborn and all of my friends would confirm that.” Jin smiled gently and put his forehead on Kazuya’s.  
  
“I know. I remember how stubborn you can be but…” Kazuya averted his eyes uncertainly.  
  
“The only ‘but’ that there is, comes from you,” Jin said making Kazuya jump a bit at the statement. “Kazuya, I won’t force you into anything but… I would like to try dating you. If you’re not ready, that’s okay. I will wait but… I would be the happiest man on this planet if you agreed. You said you feel the same, well, almost the same. Wouldn’t it be good to give it a try?” Jin asked softly, gently stroking the boy’s cheek.  
  
Kazuya bit on his lip hesitantly. “I… I’m not sure. I would love to but… Is it really alright? I don’t want to hurt you Jin. You are… precious to me. You became my first friend. I don’t want to lose you.”  
  
“You won’t lose me. I promise,” Jin looked deeply into Kazuya’s eyes trying to confirm with them how serious he was. “Then, will you give us a chance? Will you give _me_ a chance?”  
  
Kazuya stared into Jin’s shining brown eyes wondering if he made a right choice. There was no going back now and he needed to face the consequences, “Okay… Let’s try,” he said with a low voice.  
  
Jin smiled and Kazuya returned the smile hesitantly. He blushed under Jin’s intense but affectionate gaze and tried to look down but Jin’s palm placed under his chin and the other one placed on his cheek didn’t let him. Jin enjoyed the boy’s pink-colored face thinking it suited the boy better than his usual pale skin.  
  
Jin moved closer and gently rubbed his nose with Kazuya’s making the other giggle. When the boy calmed down and relaxed, Jin leaned down and waited. When Kazuya didn’t flinch away, Jin leaned more and placed his lips on Kazuya’s. He started moving them lightly, testing the boy’s reaction.  
  
Kazuya’s was a bit startled by Jin’s action but he didn’t protest when the older man started kissing him. The sensation was new to him. It was… pleasant. Bringing some courage, Kazuya moved his lips, kissing Jin back a bit clumsily. Jin didn’t mind though as he was happy the boy responded to him.  
  
Jin was slowly leading the kiss trying to encourage the boy even more. He slowly stroked Kazuya’s cheek when he felt the younger’s palm on his chest and the other one being gently placed on his shoulder and slowly moving closer to his neck. Jin smiled into a kiss and gently prodded Kazuya’s lower lip with his tongue.  
  
Kazuya felt something wet on his lip and gasped a bit from surprise. The next moment he felt Jin’s tongue slipping into his mouth. He let it gently explore his mouth. He moaned at the weird but pleasurable feeling. Hesitantly he brought his own tongue to play with Jin’s.  
  
They were kissing each other softly and slowly for a couple of minutes until Kazuya had to stop the kiss due to the lack of air. They both chuckled, breathless, seeing each other's’ red faces. Jin pecked Kazuya one last time and moved his hand from the boy’s cheek to his waist. He pulled the boy lightly, letting him know he wanted him close to himself. Kazuya got the hint and cuddled himself into Jin’s side. He put his head on Jin’s shoulder, head under the man’s chin and purred in happiness. Jin’s hand started rubbing his arm up and down gently. It was cozy and comfortable for the both of them. They sat in the silence, enjoying each other’s closeness.  
  
“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Jin said and placed a simple kiss on Kame’s forehead.  
  
“Hm… it’s comfortable but I love that chair over there. Do you think we can cuddle there?” Kazuya asked looking up at Jin with a shy smile.  
  
“I’m not sure we both will fit in it.”  
  
“That’s a shame. It’s really comfortable. Tell me. What I have to do so you would give it to me?”  
  
Jin pretended to think it over before softly whispering into Kazuya’s ear, “You need to promise me that no matter what happens in the future you’re not going to push me away. Promise me to always be mine.”  
  
“I promise,” Kazuya whispered back and Jin smiled with that one smile that from now on was purely reserved for Kamenashi Kazuya.  
  
“Then it’s yours...”

 

 

 

_ **# 3 years later #** _

  
“K-kazu~ Where… do you want this… freaking chair?” Jin moaned feeling his legs giving up on him.  
  
“Put it in there, in front of TV.” Kame pointed to one of the corners in the living room, close to the window.  
  
Jin put the heavy chair down and straightened up with a scowl of pain. Bringing this thing up to the 4th floor was a nightmare but he had no choice. Kazuya loved that old piece of furniture since the first time he had laid his eyes on it. He wouldn’t leave it at Jin’s old apartment even if they were moving abroad.  
  
Jin massaged his back and sighed tiredly. He turned away from the chair and looked around the new apartment. _Their_ new apartment. He smiled widely at the thought. After three years, they were finally going to live together in one flat. Jin could feel butterflies in his stomach – he was so happy. Their relationship survived a lot. Kazuya’s insecurities, Jin’s insecurities, meeting the parents - that went surprisingly well, quarrels about Kazuya’s behavior and Jin’s jealousy and many other impediments that almost broke them up once or twice. Nevertheless they stayed together and from that moment on, they were going to live together.  
  
Jin grabbed one of the boxes and started unpacking it. Soon he started humming to himself a melody to one of their new songs. The song was fully written by Kazuya. It was his first and Jin was very proud of his boyfriend. Since the day the younger man joined him and his friends, they had managed to give a few nice concerts that brought them quite a bunch of fans. Their popularity steadily rose and soon their first tour was to be announced. Their life just couldn’t get any better.  
  
“Jin? Did you see the box with our lyrics?” Kazuya asked from their bedroom.  
  
“No, but I think it’s one of boxes left at the genkan,” Jin answered and looked at his boyfriend that came into the room.  
  
Kazuya sighed at the sight of six big boxes waiting to be unpacked. “Why didn’t we sign them? Finding everything will take us the whole day?” Kazuya complained with a scowl.  
  
Jin grabbed Kazuya by the waistband of his pants and yanked the man down next to him. With a startled yell, Kazuya fell down. He was about to scold Jin for surprising him like that when Jin kissed him softly. Jin circled his boyfriend’s waist with one arm and pulled him closer. After a moment he moved away and kissed Kazuya’s forehead. He looked at Kame’s face and chuckled at the pout that the younger one showing at him.  
  
“Why did you pull me? You could just ask,” Kazuya complained but cuddled with Jin happily.  
  
“Because I know you. If I asked, you wouldn’t listen. You stubborn like that. It was easier to just _make_ you sit down.”  
  
“But why did you do it? We still have tons of stuff to unpack.” Although reluctantly, Kazuya tried to stand up, but Jin didn’t let him, firmly keeping his arm around the smaller man.  
  
“No, no. You need to take a break. We’ve been unpacking and moving stuff for the whole morning and afternoon. I think taking a small break won’t hurt us,” Jin said with a big smile and pecked Kazuya lightly.  
  
Kazuya sighed and returned to his previous place next to Jin. “Fine. Those boxes won’t run away anyway.”  
  
“That’s right,” Jin agreed with a smile and started gently rubbing his boyfriends arm. The moment Kazuya relaxed, Jin’s phone rang and the man took it out of his pocket. He checked the message and chuckled at its content. Kazuya curiously looked at him. “It’s Maru. Asks if he can sleep here today.”  
  
“I hope you know that if you agree, you’re the one sleeping on the couch?” Kazuya asked eyeing his boyfriend.  
  
Jin snorted at the question, “I’m not that stupid. It’s our first night _together_ in _our_ flat. I’m not going to let someone ruin it for us.” Jin said and rubbed their noses together affectionately.  
  
“Good.” Kazuya smiled widely and pecked Jin’s cheek. He cuddled more into Jin and hummed in happiness. Jin put his cheek on Kazuya head and they stayed like that silently for a few minutes. Jin didn’t bother to check on new messages, knowing that it’s just Maru begging for help.  
  
“Ne, Kazu, when are you going to tell Nakamaru that it’s not a ghost haunting his apartment? I don’t think he can take it much longer. He gets kind of desperate.”  
  
“Hm?” Kazuya looked at the curious Jin and smirked. “Just a bit more. Yucchi’s so funny and cute~ I just can’t help but tease him. It’s so much fun!” Kazuya exclaimed with a giggle, his eyes shining with mischief.  
  
Jin chuckled, “Poor Maru for having to deal with your ideas. I wonder what he is going to do when he realizes it’s really Masuda raiding his fridge almost every night.”  
  
“That’s just the way I show love to my dearest friends~” Kazuya said happily. “And he won’t do anything. Probably, he will be angry at us first but he will forgive us as soon as I show him my puppy eyes, right JinJin?” Kazuya made the puppy eyes and it didn’t take more than a few seconds for Jin to hug his boyfriend closely.  
  
“Heh… Really, I just can’t resist you,” Jin admitted and kissed Kazuya shortly.  
  
“I know you can’t,” Kazuya said with a smirk.” But I can’t resist you too. I love you too much,” Kazuya said softly and Jin smiled at him.  
  
“I love you too much too,” Jin reciprocated and put their foreheads together before pecking the boy lightly.  
  
They sat on the couch next to the old chair and exchanged small but affectionate kisses. Despite the years that had passed and changes that arose in both of their lives, their love only grew bigger and stronger with every passing day. It took time, lots of sacrifices and hardships but they made it. They fought and they won the biggest prize there could be.  
  
_Eternal love._

 

**THE END**


End file.
